Hit the gym. Get back in shape. That's what many patients with long COVID are told when they talk of the crushing fatigue that envelops them after even a light bout of physical activity.
These symptoms of exhaustion, or post-exertional malaise as it is called, are a hallmark of long COVID and similar complex illnesses like chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS.
The idea that exercise can help patients has proven difficult to shake, despite evidence suggesting this isn't merely a case of de-conditioning that patients can overcome by pushing through the pain.
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