The physiological impact of masking is insignificant and should not preclude routine use during daily activities, exercise, and rehabilitation
Affiliation
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, OhioHealthy Living for Pandemic Event Protection (HL-PIVOT) Network, Chicago, Illinois
University of Derby
Sleep Medicine and Lung Health Consultants, Pittsburgh Critical Care Associates, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Issue Date
2021-01
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Masking has been employed as a strategy for reducing transmission of a variety of communicable diseases. With the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, many countries have implemented mandatory public masking. However, the perceived impact of mask use on pulmonary function has been a deterrent to public compliance with recommendations. COVID-19 has shed light on the impact that comorbid cardiac and pulmonary conditions may have on disease severity. This knowledge has led to increased primary and secondary prevention efforts for which exercise and rehabilitation are central. The importance of safe methods of exercise while mitigating risk of viral transmission is paramount to global recovery from the pandemic and prevention of future outbreaks. We constructed a focused literature review of the impact of various masks on pulmonary function at rest and with exercise. This was then incorporated into recommendations for the integration of masks with exercise and rehabilitation in the COVID-19 era. While there is a paucity of evidence, we identified the physiological effects of masking at rest and during exercise to be negligible. The perceived impact appears to be far greater than the measured impact, and increased frequency of mask use leads to a physiological and psychological adaptive response. Masking during daily activities, exercise, and rehabilitation is safe in both healthy individuals and those with underlying cardiopulmonary disease. Rehabilitation participants should be reassured that the benefits of masking during COVID-19 far outweigh the risks, and increased frequency of mask use invokes adaptive responses that make long-term masking tolerable.Citation
Haraf, R. H., Faghy, M., Carlin, B., Josephson, R. A. (2021). ‘The physiological impact of masking is insignificant and should not preclude routine use during daily activities, exercise, and rehabilitation’. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention, 41(1), pp. 1-5.Journal
Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and PreventionDOI
10.1097/HCR.0000000000000577Additional Links
https://journals.lww.com/jcrjournal/Fulltext/2021/01000/The_Physiological_Impact_of_Masking_Is.1.aspxType
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1932-7501ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1097/HCR.0000000000000577
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