Post-Acute COVID Rehabilitation

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 30% of those infected have reported persistent symptoms that last for months to years after initial infection, even in cases of mild or asymptomatic acute illness. Distinct persistent symptoms have been catalogued at over 200 in number, spanning involvement of 10 organ systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines Post-COVID Conditions or Long COVID as an umbrella term that refers to a range of "new, returning, or ongoing health problems experienced by people four or more weeks after initial COVID infection." Post-COVID Conditions are affecting millions of people around the world, with devastating impacts on function, employment and participation in society. Although various rehabilitation strategies for Post-COVID Conditions started to emerge in the last year, their efficacy and impacts on outcomes remain unknown, and do not address the fact that Post-COVID Conditions is a highly diverse cluster of post-viral conditions that require distinct interventional approaches.

This Research Topic will inform the patients, caregivers, researchers, healthcare providers, program planners and decision-makers about post-COVID rehabilitation. As research is conducted and rehabilitation initiatives start to emerge, results are needed in real-time to support the development of best practices for care. A major goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the diversity of Post-COVID Conditions and the critical need for interventional approaches to match that diversity. We will explore the complex relationship between exercise prescription and post-exertional symptom exacerbation: one of the major causes of symptomatic worsening in people with Post-COVID Conditions. We will also engage patient-led research groups in order to produce research that is authentically patient-centered and developed in collaboration with those who are living with Post-COVID Conditions.

We welcome work on:

- Screening and Disability Evaluation for Post COVID Conditions
- Rehabilitation infrastructures and care models for Post COVID Conditions
- The role of exercise in treating Post COVID Conditions
- Autonomic Rehabilitation for Post COVID Conditions
- Rehabilitation of Post Intensive Care Syndrome after COVID infection
- Cognitive Rehabilitation for Post COVID Conditions
- Evaluation and Management of Post COVID Pain Syndromes
- General and multidisciplinary approaches to Long COVID rehabilitation, including diversity and complexity of persistent symptoms, the need for individualized, multi-system care strategies, and real-world models for supporting recovery, function, and quality of life.