Correction of the geriatric status associated with impaired muscle activity in the elderly with post-COVID-19 syndrome by physical therapy means

Abstract

Purpose: to determine the effectiveness of the developed program of physical therapy for the elderly with post-COVID-19 syndrome according to the dynamics of the parameters of the geriatric status. Materials and methods. 105 elderly people were examined. The control group consisted of 30 people who did not suffer from the coronavirus disease. The main group consisted of 75 people who fell ill with coronavirus pneumonia and diagnosed with post- COVID-19 syndrome. The main group 1 consisted of 34 people who underwent rehabilitation in polyclinic conditions according to the principles of the Protocol for rehabilitation care for patients with COVID-19. The main group 2 consisted of 41 patients who underwent recovery under the rehabilitation program (therapeutic exercises, functional training, Otago exercise program, massage, ergotherapeutic methods, nutrition recommendations, patient education). The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by the Senior Fitness Test, 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale, Barthel ADL Index, Geriatric Depression Scale. Results. Patients were found to have muscle weakness, deterioration of balance, flexibility, speed (Senior Fitness Test), difficulty in performing locomotor function (according to the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale), impairment in activities of daily living (Barthel ADL Index), psycho-emotional depression (Geriatric Depression Scale). The developed program of physical therapy revealed a statistical improvement in the geriatric status of patients in comparison with the initial indicators in all studied parameters (p<0.05). The lack of adaptation to geriatric features of the clinical protocol for the rehabilitation of post-COVID-19 syndrome demonstrated that although the studied contingent improved relative to the initial result, the parameters of the main group 2 were not reached. Conclusions. Elderly patients with post-COVID-19 and geriatric syndromes need the development of physical therapy programs taking into account and correcting the specifics of each of them, which will increase the overall effectiveness of restorative measures.