The Effect of Positioning Exercises on Dyspnea and Fatigue in Patients Treated with COVID-19

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - a global pandemic has severely affected humankind. It basically affects both the upper (i.e. sinuses, nose and throat) and lower (i.e. trachea and lungs) airways hence causing respiratory tract diseases ranging from asymptomatic or cold to more severe lung diseases .Since it affects the respiratory system, so Dyspnea and fatigue are one of the most prominent symptoms for COVID-19. The aim of the study is to determine the effect of positioning exercises in COVID-19 patients which can contribute to relieve dyspnea and reduce fatigue Methodology: 80 Patients, age range 18 to 50 years, diagnosed with Covid 19 and undergoing treatment for the same with grade ≤ 3 NYHA dyspnea classifications were included and divided equally in two groups-Groups I (experimental) and Group II (Control). In Group I positioning exercises were administered 30 minutes twice a day for 7 days along with the regular Covid treatment protocol and in Group II followed regular Covid treatment protocol. Pre and post evaluation of oxygen saturation and respiratory rate with fatigue severity scale were taken Results: As the data was not normally distributed non parametric test was used. Wilcoxon test was used to compare the outcome measures within groups and Man-Whitney test was used for comparing between groups. Result shows that there was significant improvement noted in both the groups within and between comparison but Group I was found to be highly significant then Group II. Conclusion: Positioning exercises in COVID-19 patients helps to relieve dyspnea and reduce fatigue. Key words: positioning, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, fatigue impact scale, covid-19 patients.