Rehabilitation Therapy for a Severe Case of Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case Report

    September 2022 in “ Journal of Medical Case Reports ”
    Toru Takekawa, Kazumi Kashiwabara, Naoki Yamada, Satoshi Watanabe, Midori Hama, Gentaro Hashimoto, Masahiro Abo, Kyota Shinfuku
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    TLDR Rehabilitation therapy helped a severe COVID-19 patient regain muscle mass and return to normal life.
    A case report of a Japanese man in his 40s with severe COVID-19 infection and significant muscle weakness showed that rehabilitation therapy, initiated on day T + 49 (T: day patient became febrile), was beneficial in increasing skeletal muscle mass and enhancing the return to routine daily activity. The patient was able to walk independently by day T + 53 and returned to work. A computed tomography scan showed an increase in psoas muscle volume from 276 cm3 to 316 cm3 after physical therapy, and a decrease in whole-body extracellular water:total body weight ratio from 0.394 to 0.389. However, hair loss was noted after day T + 100. The report emphasizes the role of physical rehabilitation, including nutrition, in facilitating the rapid return of COVID-19 patients to their normal life.
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