Functional performance analysis in individuals recovered from COVID-19: assessment through the six-minute walk test

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to healthcare systems, with physiotherapy playing a crucial role in the management of post-infection patients. This descriptive study investigated the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) as an assessment tool to monitor physiological and functional changes in post-COVID patients. Conducted at the Outpatient Clinic of Physiotherapy in Cardiology and Pulmonology at Universidade São Francisco, Bragança Paulista/SP, the study included 18 individuals referred for pulmonary rehabilitation, with a median age of 47 years (±13.40), body mass of 74.50 kg (±20.48), and mean height of 1.65 m (±0.09). The median distance covered in the 6MWT was 481 meters (±106.20), corresponding to 78.9% of the predicted value according to the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society, indicating reduced tolerance to submaximal aerobic exercise. Statistically significant differences were observed between initial and final values of systolic blood pressure (p < 0.005), heart rate (p < 0.002), rate-pressure product (p < 0.001), and Borg’s Rating of Perceived Exertion scale, both respiratory (p < 0.006) and muscular (p < 0.007). However, no significant differences were found in oxygen saturation (p > 0.34) or diastolic blood pressure (p > 1.00). The results suggest that cardiovascular and hemodynamic adjustments occurred physiologically, reinforcing the use of the 6MWT as a valuable tool for assessing submaximal functional capacity and physiological responses to exercise. The 6MWT proved to be useful in evaluating exercise tolerance in post-COVID individuals.