question: BACKGROUND: Survivors of critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) suffer from severe physical functional disability Recent reports from several countries suggest that rehabilitative intervention is needed to improve physical functional decline in the challenging situation of COVID-19 CASE REPORT: A 58-year-old woman, previously without gait difficulty, was diagnosed with COVID-19 requiring endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation She also developed stress-induced cardiomyopathy After management in intensive care unit for 15 days, she could not sit on a bed without back support After receiving short-term inpatient rehabilitation therapy, lower limb muscle strength, balance function, and gait speed had rapidly and significantly improved at the time of hospital discharge and at 1-month follow-up CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: As COVID-19 tends to progress rapidly in the acute phase, early rehabilitation is necessary, despite challenges to its implementation Feasible inpatient rehabilitation for patients with critical COVID-19 will pave the way to improve physical functional disability