Fatigue and neuromuscular function in long COVID: A one-year follow-up study, 2025, Almeida

[Dolphin]

Fatigue and neuromuscular function in long COVID: A one-year follow-up study

Background Long COVID has emerged as a significant complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the long-term neuromuscular consequences of this condition, particularly one-year post-infection, remain poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the mechanisms of fatigue by comparing...

journals.plos.org

Research Article

Fatigue and neuromuscular function in long COVID: A one-year follow-up study​

• Isabella da Silva Almeida,​
• Leandro Gomes de Jesus Ferreira,​
• Marco Aurélio Vaz,​
• Gerson Cipriano Junior,​
• Monique Alves de Resende,​
• Denis Cesar Leite Vieira,​
• Rochelle Rocha Costa,​
• Nicolas Babault,​
• Rita de Cássia Marqueti,​
• João Luiz Quagliotti Durigan​
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  Abstract
• Background
• Long COVID has emerged as a significant complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the long-term neuromuscular consequences of this condition, particularly one-year post-infection, remain poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the mechanisms of fatigue by comparing perceived fatigue, objective fatigability, functionality, muscle architecture, and electrical neuromuscular function in participants who had suffered severe or moderate COVID‑19 one-year post-infection with a healthy control group.
  
  Methods and Findings
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• This longitudinal observational study followed participants for one-year. The assessments were conducted at the Laboratory of Muscle and Tendon Plasticity at the University of Brasília, Brazil. Participants who had suffered moderate or severe SARS-CoV-2 infection were compared to a control group. A baseline assessment was initially conducted (21–30 days post-symptoms onset or post-hospital discharge), followed by second (31–90), third (91–180), and fourth (181–360) assessments. Perceived fatigue, objective fatigability, functionality, muscle architecture, and electrical neuromuscular function were analyzed. The study included 30 controls (46.53 [42.10–51.43] years; 13 men [43.33%]), 22 moderate cases (38.27 [33.96–43.13] years; 10 men [45.45%]), and 18 severe cases (50.83 [45.19–57.18] years; eight men [44.44%]). Severe participants exhibited higher perceived fatigue in all assessments than the control group and at baseline and in assessment 4 compared to moderate cases, in addition to a lower torque and torque-time integral in all assessments of objective fatigability analysis compared to the other groups. The severe group also demonstrated reduced functionality, impaired muscle architecture (characterized by increased echogenicity), and higher chronaxie values in the electrical neuromuscular function assessment. Participants with moderate COVID‑19 exhibited alterations in perceived fatigue, reduced torque, and lower TTI, electrical neuromuscular function, and muscle architecture, particularly at baseline.
  
  Conclusions
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• Severe participants continued to experience significant perceived fatigue even one-year post-infection, suggesting a slower recovery trajectory, that contributed to increased fatigability throughout the follow-up period. These results emphasize the role of musculoskeletal and neural mechanisms in post-COVID‑19 fatigue, highlighting the need for targeted, mechanism-based rehabilitation strategies.

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• Published: September

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[Utsikt]

Severe participants continued to experience significant perceived fatigue even one-year post-infection, suggesting a slower recovery trajectory, that contributed to increased fatigability throughout the follow-up period.

I dislike the «slower recovery» framing. Why is it so certain that they are on a path towards eventual recovery?

 

[rvallee]

These results emphasize the role of musculoskeletal and neural mechanisms in post-COVID‑19 fatigue, highlighting the need for targeted, mechanism-based rehabilitation strategies.

It obviously does no such thing, but never let facts get in the way of a popular narrative. The idea of rehabilitation has become an even more magical concept than the insulting "what, you want a magical pill?" they like to throw at us. It's them who want the damn magical pill that frees them of all responsibility. Even though it does no such thing, which we know, because on top of decades of failure, it's been 5.5 years of Long Covid and about 99% of resources have been wasted entirely on this.

And what could be this "slow recovery trajectory" anyway? This simply does not pay attention to what is happening. Everything is determined by what is right in front of their eyes right now.

This suggests that recovery may be slower or incomplete in this group, potentially impacting functionality

Sometimes you find glimpses of actual logical reasoning, but it only ever lasts a few seconds until it's gone. Yes, there is an illness process going on, it blocks recovery, and, no, rehabilitation is not a factor here. Good grief the mediocrity of it all.