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Analysis and Health

Exercise programme helps people with long covid, but it's no panacea

An eight-week virtual exercise programme improved the quality of life of people with long covid, but the effect was relatively modest and it may not benefit everyone with the condition

By Clare Wilson

8 February 2024

People with long covid, who were not participants in the latest trial, take part in an exercise programme in a swimming pool

People with long covid, who were not in the latest trial, take part in an exercise programme in a swimming pool

dpa picture alliance/Alamy

For the first time, an exercise-based rehabilitation programme has been found to improve the health of people with long covid.

It might seem like this would be universally welcomed. But it could reopen the long-standing dispute over whether people with post-viral fatigue conditions should be encouraged to build up their exercise levels or whether this risks setting them back further.

Long covid is a term used to describe lasting…

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