Researchers Advise Long Covid Patients to Skip Intense Workouts

Long Covid and Intense Workouts

Should you have long Covid and often feel fatigued, unwell, or experience pain after physical activity, it is advisable to refrain from engaging in intense workouts, according to recent research findings.

Understanding Long Covid

Long Covid, a condition known to impact tens of thousands across the UK, can cause an exacerbation of symptoms that last for weeks following a single bout of exercise. This issue can be traced back to various biological changes in the body, such as extreme muscle damage, mitochondrial issues, and the formation of microclots.

Dr Rob Wüst, a contributor to the study from VU University Amsterdam, affirms that these findings indeed indicate an internal imbalance caused by the disease.

The Study on Exercise and Long Covid

The study, published in Nature Communications, involved 25 long Covid patients who reported experiencing malaise after exercising, and 21 individuals who had fully recovered from Covid. Note that none of the participants had been hospitalized with Covid, and all were fit and healthy prior to contracting the virus.

Each participant was subjected to a 10-15 minute exercise bicycle test, with blood samples and skeletal muscle biopsies taken a week before and the day after the activity.

Findings on Long Covid and Exercise Capacity

Results reveal reduced exercise capacity in long Covid patients compared to their healthier counterparts. In-depth analysis of the pre-exercise biopsies showed that long Covid patients had a higher ratio of white fibres in their muscles, which contain fewer power-producing structures, known as mitochondria, and fewer capillaries.

The research team discovered that the mitochondria in long Covid patients were less efficient than those in healthy participants. This partially explains the reduced exercise capacity in people suffering from long Covid.

The study also found elevated levels of a protein called amyloid in the skeletal muscles of long Covid patients. However, there was no evidence that these ‘microclots’ were causing blood vessel blockages, as previously suggested by some researchers.

Upon comparing the biopsies taken pre and post exercise, it was found that mitochondrial function in long Covid patients worsened after physical activity. These individuals also showed more signs of tissue damage and the body’s attempts at repair.

Implications for Long Covid Patients

Wüst posits that these findings indicate that intense physical activity could actually be detrimental for individuals with long Covid, as it can cause muscle damage, metabolic issues, and lead to muscle pain and fatigue for weeks post-exercise.

Prof Betty Raman, from the University of Oxford, speculates that mitochondrial dysfunction could contribute to the fatigue experienced by some long Covid sufferers. She suggests that treatments aimed at improving mitochondrial health could potentially be beneficial. However, Raman also cautions that other factors, such as persistent inflammation, could also play a role in long Covid.