Major study on physical activity support for Long-COVID patients launched

A major study from Sheffield Hallam University and ukactive has been launched to understand how the sport and physical activity sector is supporting people suffering from Long-COVID

Sheffield Hallam University's Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), the ukactive Research Institute and Sport England are working together to explore how organisations are delivering physical activity to people with Long-COVID, and the relationships with local health services that may be commissioning these activities or referring patients to them.

The researchers hope to gain a better understanding of the support available and provide initial insights into what helps patients to manage or improve their symptoms.

Long-COVID is a complex, multi-system disease that adversely affects the day-to- day activities of 2.1 million people, with the number of patients experiencing chronic symptoms placing unprecedented demand on the NHS.

Given the complexity of Long-COVID and the lack of clarity about how best to treat the condition – including the role of physical activity – it is essential that the physical activity sector is equipped with the skills and knowledge to support people, and to avoid causing harm.

Some people with Long-COVID experience an increase in symptoms after exertion (termed post-exertional symptom exacerbation or PESE); it is important that physical activity professionals are knowledgeable about PESE and are able to recognise this in patients to ensure that their advice on physical activity is appropriate.

Researchers will look at how health services are referring people with Long-COVID to organisations delivering physical activity, and the options and strategies available to support their recovery.

The first phase of the study will involve interviews with clinical, community, and physical activity sector professionals.

An online survey will then be used to determine how the sector is currently integrating physical activity safely into rehabilitation pathways.

The final phase will seek to understand the relationship between Long-COVID clinical referrers and the physical activity sector, before the full results of the study are published in the Summer.

Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “This study will provide vital guidance to our fitness and leisure organisations so they can best support people suffering from Long-COVID symptoms.

“The physical activity sector could play a fundamental role in people’s recovery from Long-COVID, which is another example where the sector has huge potential to work together with the NHS and support people’s health in community settings, to relieve pressure on our healthcare system.”

Tom Burton, National Partnerships Lead for Health and Wellbeing at Sport England, said: “We know that the complexities of living with Long-COVID can significantly impact people’s ability and motivation to be active, and that wider research continues to explore the most effective treatments. We welcome this study to better understand the ways in which physical activity and sport is being used to support people living with Long-COVID and manage their symptoms.

“Sport England wants everyone to feel they have the ability to be active as a part of our Uniting the Movement strategy. Working with expert partners, we hope this work will provide key learning so the sector can have the knowledge and skills to support people in safe and appropriate ways.”

Dr Tom Maden-Wilkinson, Associate Professor at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “The ongoing experiences of people with Long-COVID needs to be addressed as a priority within our society. This work will allow us to see the current provision by the sport and leisure sector for people with Long-COVID and how people are accessing these services.

“Importantly, we acknowledge that physical activity is not advisable for some people with Long-COVID and we want to understand the implications of this for the sector, combining this with our understanding from our current research in this population.”

https://www.shu.ac.uk/news/all-articles/latest-news/physical-activity-long-covid-study

 

A British exercise study on LC exlcluding people with PEM shows how far we've come in just 5-10 years.

 

ukactive has a connection with BACME i.e Lucy V Clark (from her Linked in page)
She has authored papers with Peter White including PACE & GETSET

 

Unfortunately with the people involved, this study cannot be trusted, it is too biased. I don't understand how bias is basically irrelevant in EBM. It's as biased as the fraudulent studies put out by the tobacco companies.

There are better bits than usual but it's still absurd to be stuck at this phase. There is no lack of clarity, exercise rehabilitation programs is what greeted almost every long hauler who was somehow referred to something. We know it doesn't work, because this is what was tried not just for the first damn 3 years, but ongoing. If they're saying that it's impossible to tell if something works after being used routinely for 3 years onto millions, then what the hell is the matter with this profession?

It's still the most common advice given by physicians. So if there is a lack of clarity and it has been the default for millions over 3 years already, then there is a huge crisis of invalid advice being dispensed in healthcare because there is simply no evidence that it works for anything. Which, yeah, definitely true.

What does it say about medicine that they so easily and routinely coerce people using what they framed as ambiguous, but actually means no evidence? This is like starting to test a machine years after it's been commercialized to see if it works. It's not even a credible scenario, this is completely unique to medicine, no one else does that. Why is health such an irrational subject that makes people so weird?

 

Anyone know more about this 'active wellbeing centre'? It's name is just ringing bells in me whether it is some modern version of the Cardiff one (set up by Aylward ? "UnumProvident Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research at Cardiff University" ...

 

I've just scanned through the content on this page and not gone through any links etc. - have they actually confirmed (and I've missed it) that they are excluding people with PEM?

I read the following:

But with cynicism having read the Leeds study into LC recently where it seem like they thought PEM was to be dealt with as if it were just a bit of fatigue after exertion and meant taking a pause before the next increase - ie they didn't 'get it' and understand the implications.

If they genuinely are in this 'getting PEM' properly and ergo excluding it - with a good definition of it and why - then it would be a huge 'and finally' moment!

 

There is the issue.

It's all not just supply-focused but a rather strange piece of research that is more akin to an institution asking depts to report on 'what they can do towards x in the next few months so they've got a few lines to say'.

It is ducking the Q on whether exercise is any good, bar the one-liner about PEM. Am I missing something on a part/type of LC that really does need exercise?

 

Everybody needs exercise. There are very few contraindications, such as PEM.