Dr. Lambert identified that some sufferers with lengthy Covid are additionally recognized with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (or POTS), a dysfunction that impacts blood movement. In individuals who have POTS, “the nervous system can’t regulate the issues that it’s speculated to mechanically management, like coronary heart fee, blood strain, sweating and physique temperature,” she mentioned. But “these are all issues that while you’re exercising should be regulated correctly.”

Some medical doctors additionally level to parallels between sufferers with lengthy Covid and people with continual fatigue syndrome (also called myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME/CFS) who’ve extreme fatigue, reminiscence and cognitive issues, and infrequently muscle or joint ache. For many years, physicians suggested continual fatigue syndrome sufferers that train would enhance their signs, however for a lot of sufferers, train truly made their signs worse and now could be now not really useful.

In 2021, Dr. Systrom and his crew studied 160 continual fatigue syndrome sufferers, and located that once they exercised, they skilled lots of the similar blood vessel issues noticed in lengthy Covid sufferers, whereas management topics didn’t. “We’re primarily discovering the very same factor” in relation to potential mechanisms, he mentioned.

This all results in one query: Ought to Covid sufferers who’re having bother with train proceed to ramp up their bodily exercise? No person is aware of — and opinions differ. “There are each sufferers and medical doctors who’re vehemently towards any train” due to these points, Dr. Systrom mentioned. However he additionally mentioned that train may be attainable, and even helpful, after lengthy Covid sufferers obtain correct therapy. “If you may get the affected person in a greater place with drugs, then you may embark on a graded train program with out precipitating crashes,” he mentioned.

Dr. Lambert agreed. “You’ll be able to’t simply soar into train, otherwise you’re going to be set again,” she mentioned, however it’s best to “slowly attempt to reincorporate it in case you are feeling higher.” She added that lengthy Covid can manifest in several methods, so medical doctors and sufferers could must tailor their suggestions to sufferers’ wants.

“That’s actually the story of Covid — that for each affected person, lengthy Covid is completely different,” she mentioned. “There’s in all probability by no means going to be a one-size-fits-all advice for train.”

Melinda Wenner Moyer is a science journalist.