Role of Tele-Physical Therapy Training on Glycemic Control, Pulmonary Function, Physical Fitness, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Following COVID-19 Infection—A Randomized Controlled Trial
Gopal Nambi,
Mshari Alghadier,
Arul Vellaiyan,
Elturabi Elsayed Ebrahim,
Osama R. Aldhafian,
Shahul Hameed Pakkir Mohamed,
Hani Fahad Ateeq Albalawi,
Mohamed Faisal Chevidikunnan,
Fayaz Khan,
Paramasivan Mani,
Ayman K. Saleh,
Naif N. Alshahrani
Affiliations
Gopal Nambi
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Mshari Alghadier
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Arul Vellaiyan
Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Elturabi Elsayed Ebrahim
Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Osama R. Aldhafian
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Shahul Hameed Pakkir Mohamed
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
Hani Fahad Ateeq Albalawi
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Faisal Chevidikunnan
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Fayaz Khan
Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Paramasivan Mani
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Al Mubaraz 36428, Saudi Arabia
Ayman K. Saleh
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Naif N. Alshahrani
Orthopedic Surgery Department, King Fahad Medical City, Ministry of Health, Riyadh 12231, Saudi Arabia
The use of tele-rehabilitation (TR) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) following COVID-19 infection remains unexplored. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the clinical effects of tele-physical therapy (TPT) on T2DM following COVID-19 infection. The eligible participants were randomized into two groups, a tele-physical therapy group (TPG; n = 68) and a control group (CG; n = 68). The TPG received tele-physical therapy for four sessions a week for eight weeks, and the CG received patient education for 10 min. The outcome measures were HbA1c levels, pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV), and peak exploratory flow (PEF)), physical fitness, and quality of life (QOL). The difference between the groups in HbA1c levels at 8 weeks was 0.26 (CI 95% 0.02 to 0.49), which shows greater improvement in the tele-physical therapy group than the control group. Similar changes were noted between the two groups after 6 months and at 12 months resulting in 1.02 (CI 95% 0.86 to 1.17). The same effects were found in pulmonary function (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, MVV, and PEF), physical fitness, and QOL (p = 0.001). The reports of this study show that tele-physical therapy programs may result in improved glycemic control and improve the pulmonary function, physical fitness, and quality of life of T2DM patients following COVID-19 infection.
