The Association for Sports Medicine (VSG) has updated the advice on medical specialist exercise care for post-COVID patients. The most recent insights and practical experiences have been incorporated into this new version (3.0).
The VSG expert panel has revised the exercise and recovery advice for people with long-term symptoms after COVID-19. Since the first version in 2022, more knowledge has been gained regarding post-COVID, meaning the advice now aligns better with current insights from research and practice.
An important addition in version 3.0 is the more extensive attention to PEM, POTS, MCAS, heart rate pacing and HRV monitoring. In addition, the advice addresses common concomitant problems, such as dysfunctional breathing and autonomic dysregulation.
Many recommendations from the advice are not only applicable to post-COVID, but are also relevant to other conditions, such as other post-infectious disease syndromes (PAIS) and ME/CFS.
Living document
The VSG advice will henceforth be issued as a so-called living documentsThis means that new scientific insights and practical experiences – including those from the national post-COVID expertise centers – are regularly incorporated into new updates. The advice underscores the importance of early and appropriate guidance to prevent overload and worsening of symptoms (such as the 'push-crash' cycle in PEM).
C-support is closely monitoring the further development of this advice and the scientific insights regarding post-COVID and PAIS.
View the VSG advice on medical specialist musculoskeletal care post-COVID and PAIS (version 3.0)
