Exercises to Recover from COVID-19
Exercises to Recover from COVID-19
After being in the hospital for COVID-19 (coronavirus disease), doing an exercise program will help you return to your normal activities more quickly. Because COVID-19 targets lung tissue, it can impact your breathing and energy level. Use these exercises to help build up your strength and stamina.
Do these exercises as directed until you feel tired. Stop if you feel pain or have shortness of breath.
Early phase exercises
Start with these exercises and do them until they become too easy. Then you will be able to move onto the next phase.
Leg Extensions Start with your right leg. Extend it until it’s straight. Then complete with your left leg. As you progress, you can lift your thigh off the chair as high as you can comfortably. |
Marching March one knee up and slowly lower, then repeat on the other leg. Keep your stomach muscles tight as you complete the exercise. |
Bridging Lie on your back. Bend both knees and keep your feet flat on the mat, bed or floor. Lift your bottom up and down. |
Leg Lift (Abduction) Turn over to your other side and repeat with the other let. |
Straight Leg Raise Repeat with the leg positions switched. |
Abdominal Crunch With knees bent, lift your shoulders off the bed or floor. Slowly lower back down. |
Moderate/late phase exercises
Below are more challenging strengthening exercises.
Heel/Toe Raises Stand behind a chair for support. With feet shoulder width apart, slowly rise up on your toes. Hold and then slowly lower heels down to the floor. Next, rock back onto your heels, lifting your toes up. Hold and slowly lower toes down to the floor. |
Mini Squats Stand behind a chair for support. Bend your knees slightly as your hips move back, as if sitting into a chair. Keep your heels on the ground. Return to standing up straight. |
Hip Abduction Repeat with the other leg. |
Hip Extension Repeat this with the other leg. |
Walk every day
Walking is always a good place to start getting strength and stamina back and good to use along with these exercises
- Start with a short term goal. For example, walk for 5 or 10 minutes every day. Or increase your number of steps by 300 to 500 each day.
- Use an assistive device, such as a cane or a walker, if you used one before being in the hospital or if you are unsteady.
- You should be able to carry on a light conversation while walking. If you struggle to talk, you are likely walking too fast or too far.
Experts recommend at least 2½ hours of moderate activity, such as brisk walking, each week. This is about 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 days a week. Work toward this, or your previous activity levels, over the next several weeks.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
The purpose of diaphragmatic breathing is to strengthen the diaphragm muscle. This breathing technique will help decrease shortness of breath and use less energy when breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing also strengthens your chest wall muscles to help bring in more air into the lungs.
Muscles involved in breathing
The diaphragm is a large curved muscle separating your lungs from your abdomen. It does about 80% of the work of breathing.
Normally, when your diaphragm lowers, your lungs expand, and your abdomen pushes out. When your diaphragm rises, your abdomen moves in, and your lungs relax and empty.
Lung disease often causes the diaphragm to flatten and become weak. This causes you to use accessory muscles to breathe, which takes more energy and needs more oxygen than using your diaphragm. Accessory muscles are found in the upper chest, neck, and along the ribs.
Practicing diaphragmatic breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing will help your diaphragm and abdominal muscles get stronger. Using this breathing, along with pursed lip breathing, will help move stale air out of your lungs.
Steps
- Lie or sit down in a comfortable position, relaxing your neck and shoulder muscles.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other hand at the bottom of your ribs just above your waistline. Use your hands to feel the movements as you breathe. With normal breathing, you will feel your chest rise when taking a breath in (inhaling).
- Take a breath in through your nose while pushing your stomach out. Do NOT let your shoulders move up. Do NOT expand your chest. Think about expanding your lungs in all directions.
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth with pursed lips as if you were going to whistle or blow out a candle. The hand on your stomach moves in as you breathe out. You may need to pull your stomach muscles in at first to help move your diaphragm up. Exhale or breathe out at least twice as long as you take to inhale or breathe in.
When to use diaphragmatic breathing
Learning diaphragmatic breathing takes patience and practice. As you become more comfortable breathing with this technique, you will notice that you will be using it all the time. It is the natural way to breathe.
- Practice diaphragmatic breathing for at least 10 to 15 minutes each day. Rest as needed
between breaths. - Use this breathing technique whenever you get anxious, upset, or short of breath.
- Use it with activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, or carrying objects.
© 2020 - February 3, 2022, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
This handout is for informational purposes only. Talk with your doctor or healthcare team if you have any questions about your care. For more health information, call the Library for Health Information at 614-293-3707 or email: health-info@osu.edu.
Last Revised: 2/10/2022
Author: OSUWMC
Medical Review: Patient Education