Individualized online exercise therapy aids recovery in pediatric long-COVID—findings from an exploratory randomized controlled trial
• This exploratory randomized controlled trial demonstrates that individualized online exercise therapy is feasible, safe, and associated with clinically relevant improvements in physical function, quality of life, and school attendance in pediatric long-COVID, without negative side effects. • The findings highlight the potential of telemedicine-based rehabilitation strategies as accessible and effective treatment approaches for children and adolescents with post-infectious conditions such as long-COVID.
Authors
- Maire Brasseler
- Ronja Beller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2779-0562)
- Anna von Loewenich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9668-1449)
- Gabriele Gauß
- Adela Della Marina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0737-6142)
- C Dohna-Schwake
- Anne Schönecker
- Nora Bruns (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3809-1887)
- Katharina Eckert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0620-1044)
- Lisa J. Weis
- Sebastian Voigt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1544-9903)
- Tom Hühne
- Michael M. Schündeln (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7495-9060)
- Florian Stehling (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2417-2048)
- M Götte
- Christina Pentek
- Ursula Felderhoff-Müser
- Mara Bergelt
- Rayan Hojeii
- Sarah Christina Goretzki
- Clara Held
- Sven Benson
- Andrea Gangfuß
Institutions
- Essen University Hospital (DE)
- West German Heart and Vascular Center Essen (DE)
- University of Duisburg-Essen (DE)
- Hochschule Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- European Journal of Pediatrics
- Published
- 2026-01-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-025-06705-5
- Primary Topic
- Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00