Balance and functional capacity following physiotherapy interventions in long COVID cases in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract Introduction: Post-COVID-19 syndrome, also known as long COVID, is characterized by persistent muscle weakness, episodes of dyspnea and fatigue, impaired motor coordination, superficial sensory deficits, balance disturbance, and memory deficits. Evidence-based neurofunc-functional physiotherapy has emerged as a treatment option for restoring balance and functional capacity in these patients. Objective: To evaluate the effects of a neurofunctional physiotherapy protocol on balance and functional outcomes in individuals with long COVID. Methods: This nonrandomized (quasi-experimental), uncontrolled, paired pre-post, prospective interventional case series included 10 participants with neuromuscular manifestations related to COVID-19, who completed 25 sessions of the neurofunctional protocol. The variables analyzed were balance (Berg Balance Scale), basic activities of daily living – BADLs (KATZ Index), and instrumental activities of daily living - IADLs (Lawton Scale). Qualitative data were summarized by absolute and relative frequencies and quantitative data were expressed as means ± standard deviation. Pre-post differences were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. Results: The majority of participants were women (70%), aged between 37 and 64 years (50.80 ± 8.85), with systemic arterial hypertension (70%). There were statistically significant post-intervention improvements in balance (p = 0.034) and IADLs (p = 0.026). Conclusion: The neurofunctional physiotherapy protocol effectively improved balance and increased independence in IADLs in individuals with long COVID, although no significant gains were observed in BADLs.