Mind–Body (Baduanjin) Exercise Prescription for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Baduanjin exercise is a traditional Chinese health Qigong routine created by an ancient physician for health promotion. Its mild-to-moderate exercise intensity is suitable for individuals with medical conditions. Recently, a large number of trials have been conducted to investigate the effects of Baduanjin exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It remains to be determined whether Baduanjin exercise prescription is beneficial for the management of COPD patients. Thus, we conducted a systematic review to objectively evaluate the existing literature on this topic. We searched six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang) from inception until early May 2018. The adapted Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used for study quality assessment of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Based on 95% confidence interval (CI), the pooled effect size (Hedge’s g) of exercise capability (6-Minute Walking Test, 6-MWT), lung function parameters (forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV1; forced volume vital capacity, FVC; FEV1/FVC ratio), and quality of life were calculated based on the random-effects model. Twenty RCTs (n = 1975 COPD patients) were included in this review, with sum scores of the adapted PEDro scale between 5 and 9. Study results of the meta-analysis indicate that Baduanjin is effective in improving exercise capability (Hedge’s g = 0.69, CI 0.44 to 0.94, p < 0.001, I2 = 66%), FEV1 (Hedge’s g = 0.47, CI 0.22 to 0.73, p < 0.001, I2 = 68.01%), FEV1% (Hedge’s g = 0.38, CI 0.21 to 0.56, p < 0.001, I2 = 54.74%), FVC (Hedge’s g = 0.39, CI 0.22 to 0.56, p < 0.001, I2 = 14.57%), FEV1/FVC (Hedge’s g = 0.5, CI 0.33 to 0.68, p < 0.001, I2 = 53.49%), and the quality of life of COPD patients (Hedge’s g = −0.45, CI −0.77 to −0.12, p < 0.05, I2 = 77.02%), as compared to control groups. Baduanjin exercise as an adjunctive treatment may potentially improve exercise capability and pulmonary function of COPD patients as well as quality of life. Baduanjin exercise could be tentatively prescribed for COPD in combination with the conventional rehabilitation program to quicken the process of recovery. To confirm the positive effects of Baduanjin exercise for COPD patients, future researchers need to consider our suggestions mentioned in this article.

The Effects of Baduanjin Qigong on Postural Stability, Proprioception, and Symptoms of Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Of note, BD with mild exercise intensity has recently received substantial attentions from the research community. As the number of trials increase, researchers subsequently conducted several systematic reviews with meta-analytic method, suggesting that BD has therapeutic effects for individuals with medical conditions (depression, anxiety, insomnia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, musculoskeletal pain, and stroke) (27)(28)(29)(30)(31).…”

Effect of Liuzijue breathing exercise on patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease:a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…To the best of our knowledge,this is the rst systematic review with meta-analytical method to objectively evaluate the therapeutic effects of Liuzijue breathing exercise for stable COPD patients.All eligible RCTs were published between 2008 and 2019,indicating that it is a newly broadening research hotspot. The purpose of this current review was to evaluate the e cacy and safety of Liuzijue exercise for COPD patients.No adverse events occurred in all studies, and the positive ndings in the current review are in line with previous meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials investigating the bene cial effects of other Chinese traditional exercises (eg.Tai Chi, Baduanjin and Meditative movement) for COPD patients [34][35][36] .…”

Case Series of Multiple Health Benefits in Those Undertaking Extended Qigong Practice as a Complementary Self-care Practice in an Outpatient Pain Clinic

“…Benefits are not limited to pain, but cover a wide range of health conditions and include improvements in sleep and fatigue, mental health and respiratory function. Controlled trials and aggregate analyses indicate benefits of qigong for pain [5,13], sleep and fatigue [14], mental health [7,8], respiratory function [15], and multiple other health domains [4]. Several trials which address whether the amount of qigong practice contributes to outcomes within the trial have shown that benefits are related to amount of practice [10,14].…”

“…Table 2 summarizes the experiences of 6 people (4 females, #3, #11, #12, #15; 2 males, #5, #9) who were 44-69 years old at the commencement of Interval 1, who had multiple chronic pain conditions of 3-47 years duration and who underwent extensive qigong practice. All practiced extensively during the two observational intervals (2014- 15,, and all continued on with practice sessions offered by the clinic in the intervening interval. The two columns reflect experiences in their own words, with some condensation simply to provide a more compact presentation.…”