Effectiveness of comprehensive rehabilitation for functional recovery and symptom reduction in long COVID: results from a six‑month randomised controlled trial.

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the long-term clinical outcomes of an original rehabilitation programme for patients with long-COVID, highlighting the sustained therapeutic benefits over a six-month period. Seventy‑five patients with long‑COVID symptoms completed a six‑week programme comprising three weekly outpatient sessions. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups following an identical comprehensive protocol, incorporating aerobic training, respiratory exercises, strength and general fitness training, stretching, and respiratory resistance training with a respiratory muscle trainer, with the control group receiving placebo IMT. The study evaluated the programme's effectiveness by assessing respiratory function (spirometry, muscle strength, chest expansion, and DTF), voice and speech quality, and symptom persistence. The six-month follow-up analysis demonstrated statistically significant retention of improvements in functional and qualitative parameters compared with post-rehabilitation values, with further gains relative to baseline. Our findings indicate that the multi‑component rehabilitation programme is broadly beneficial, with the greatest functional gains in patients with lower baseline capacity, while offering equitable, low‑cost support across age and sex groups and enabling targeted allocation of intensive monitoring to those with the highest potential for clinically meaningful improvement. The study is the first comprehensive analysis of the relationship between long‑COVID and voice and speech‑related disabilities, while also validating the clinical efficacy of the intervention.Clinical trials registration: NCT05449379; 08/07/2022.