Addressing Post-COVID-19 Musculoskeletal Symptoms

Grip strength will be measured in the affected hand and in the healthy hand (measuring the maximum grip strength). For this measurement, Handgrip strength averaging the result of three attempts with the dominant hand using a Baseline© model pear dynamometer

SF - 36 is an instrument to asses health - related quality of life, this evaluates eight spheres (physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role emotional and mental health) scored from zero to 100, where 100 is equivalent to no disability and zero is equivalent to maximum disability.

Exercise capacity will be measured with a six-minute walking test (6MWT), a sub-maximal exercise test which consists of the patient walking for six minutes along a 30 - meter corridor with two cones marking the distance to be covered while being given a series of cues.

CAT is an eight item questionnaire to assess: cough, sputum, chest tightness, breathlessness, activity limitation, confidence leaving home, sleep and energy scored from zero to 4 in each item, zero corresponds to the least affected and 5 to the most affected

This scale assess dyspnea in activities of daily living scored from 0 (absence of dyspnea during intense exercise) to 4 (dyspnea prevents the patient from leaving the house or appears with tasks such as dressing or undressing)

The numerical pain intensity scale adds a numerical graduation where 1 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain imaginable. The confidence and reliability of this scale has been approved and validated in different studies.

Questionnaire composed of 20 items with 4 points each that evaluate "state anxiety" (transitory emotional condition influenced by environmental factors that decrease or increase anxiety) and another 20 that evaluate "trait anxiety" (personality factor that predisposes to suffer or not suffer anxiety). The 2-part score ranks patients at a percentile to the general population. The higher the score, the greater the anxiety. It is one of the most widely used tools in research to measure levels of general anxiety.

7 items, 4 points each where higher scores indicate higher levels of fear of movement.

A 21-item scale used to assess the severity of depression. The patient has to select for each item the response alternative that best reflects his/her state during the last week. The total score is obtained by adding up the values of the selected items, which range from 0 to 3. The commonly accepted cut-off points for grading intensity/severity are as follows: 0 to 9, no depression; 10 to 18, mild depression; 19 to 29, moderate depression, and ≥ 30 points, severe depression.