The effect of different postural conditions on velocity of the sternum during deep breathing in individuals with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 history

The impact of Covid-19 has been significant worldwide and it is essential to clarify the long-term effects of Covid-19. However, even though that mobility and biomechanics of the thorax are essential components of fluent respiration, no study has yet examined the effects of Covid-19 on thorax biomechanics (1). How do different postural conditions affect the velocity of the sternum during deep breathing in individuals with mild to moderate Covid-19 history? Sedentary individuals with mild or moderate Covid-19 history that fully recovered (n=11) and sedentary individuals with no history of Covid-19 (n=11) were invited to the study. Inertial motion units (MTw, Xsens Technologies BV, Enschede, The Netherlands) were used to evaluate the movement of the sternum velocity. Individuals were instructed to breathe slowly and deeply for three consecutive respiratory cycles at sitting position and afterward repeat the same cycle at standing position. Data during deep breathing were calculated and compared as minimum values, maximum values, and maximum range (range) between the first and last point of movement. Movements in the anteroposterior direction were defined on the X-Axis and movements in the craniocaudal direction were defined on the Z-axis. Both Covid-19 and control groups showed similar minimum, maximum, and range values of velocity (p>0.05) at sitting position. However, when switched to the standing position, there were significantly greater minimum velocity (p=0.028), maximum velocity (p=0.028), and velocity range (p=0.010) values in the Z-axis in the Covid-19 group. There were also significantly greater maximum velocity (p=0.028) and velocity range (p=0.023) values in the X-axis for the Covid-19 group (Table 1).Download : Download high-res image (94KB)Download : Download full-size image These results showed that the individuals with a mild to moderate history of Covid-19 were able to perform deep breathing with similar sternum velocity in a sitting position but when switched to standing, a more demanding postural condition, the differences became prominent. These results indicate that individuals with a mild to moderate history of Covid-19 increased their respiratory rate to perform deep breathing.