Evaluation of Musculoskeletal Problems, Endurance, Quality of Life and Physical Activity Level in Healthcare Professionals With COVID-19 Infection and Without COVID-19 Infection

COVID-19 (The coronavirus disease 2019), COVID-19 infection with a wide variety of symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, high fever, loss of taste and smell, diarrhea and can even progress to a very serious condition such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. It is a common disease that has manifested itself worldwide in the last 1 year as a disease and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020.

80% of the cases have mild or asymptomatic disease, and 20% need treatment in hospital conditions. Although the disease affects different age groups, it generally affects people aged 60 and over more. It can take weeks to get over the disease; however, some symptoms persist even after the infection has cleared. The continuation of physical, cognitive and psychological problems in COVID-19 patients recovering from the acute phase of the disease is called 'Post-COVID-19 Syndrome'. Symptoms of the disease include fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, as well as common musculoskeletal problems such as muscle pain, joint pain and fatigue, anxiety, depression, poor sleep quality and decreased quality of life, and difficulties in daily living activities. Moreover, the course and prevalence of the disease and its severity in our country as well as in the world have developed a new psychological pressure about the disease and revealed the situation of coronavirus phobia, and even this affects the mood and sleep quality of individuals. It has been shown that depression and anxiety are observed, especially in patients with severe respiratory-related symptoms, both during the active period of the disease and during the period when the symptoms continue despite the recovery of the disease, and the quality of life is adversely affected.

The effects of frequency and severity of physical complaints and symptoms on general well-being, sleep and quality of life are known. However, in the COVID-19 process, the disease has very different effects, both physical and psychological, and some symptoms persist even if the disease is overcome; In addition to these, the fact that the measures taken throughout the country prompt individuals to take measures to protect themselves from the disease and make it compulsory under some conditions intertwine many different dimensions of the disease on human health and significantly affect daily life. In this context, our first aim in this study is to compare factors such as musculoskeletal problems, physical activity level, endurance and quality of life in healthcare workers with and without COVID-19. Seconder aim is to examine the relationships between factors such as musculoskeletal problems, physical activity level, endurance and quality of life, and to examine the effect levels of the parameters by performing regression analyzes depending on the result.