Post-COVID: effects of physical exercise on functional status and work ability in health care personnel.

Post-COVID exercise intervention improved physical fitness, psychological outcomes and workability in HCWs. Cases with severe fatigue showed higher benefit levels compared to those with mild symptoms. The safe and highly feasible 30secSTS correlated well with physical and mental outcomes and better workability in COVID-19 survivors.Implications for rehabilitationPhysical exercising showed to be an effective intervention method in the rehabilitation of COVID-19 survivors suffering from post-COVID syndrome by positively affecting both physical and mental health.In health care workers suffering from post-COVID syndrome, increases in physical performance are directly related to improvements in work ability.The 30 s sit-to-stand test (30secSTS) showed promising results as clinical assessment tool.The results of this study indicate that physical exercising will need to play a large and substantial role over the next years in the rehabilitation of COVID-19 survivors suffering from post-COVID-19-syndrome as it positively affects both physical and mental dimensions of the post-COVID-19-syndrome as well as work ability.