• Zeliha Çelik, Nevin A Güzel, Nihan Kafa, and Nurdan Köktürk.
• Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey. zelihacelik@gazi.edu.tr.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Oct 1; 191 (5): 1959-1965.

BackgroundSymptoms related to Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) and quarantine measures have caused pulmonary function abnormality and impaired respiratory mechanics. However, no studies are evaluating pulmonary functions and respiratory muscle strength in female volleyball players according to COVID-19 status in the pandemic.AimsThis study aims to compare pulmonary functions and respiratory muscle strength in female players with and without COVID-19.MethodsSeventeen players (23.47 ± 5.89 years) who were recovered from COVID-19 and 25 female volleyball players (20.48 ± 5.05 years) who were not infected by SARS-CoV-2 were included in the study. Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure, pulmonary functions, body composition, symptom severity, and perceptions of performance were evaluated.ResultsMeasured and predicted percent maximal inspiratory pressure and measured maximal expiratory pressure values of COVID-19 players were statistically significantly lower than non-COVID-19 players (p < 0.05). Dynamic lung volumes were similar in groups (p > 0.05).ConclusionsInspiratory and expiratory muscle strength in COVID-19 players were more affected compared with non-COVID-19 players. Pulmonary functions were mostly preserved in COVID-19 players. Respiratory muscle weakening can affect the performance of female players. Therefore, respiratory muscle strength training could be suggested in female players with COVID-19 to increase respiratory muscle strength and prevent deterioration in performance. TRIAL REGISTRATION (CLINICALTRIALS.GOV): Registration ID: NCT04789512.© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

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