Combined Effect of 12 Weeks Baduanjin and Tri-Ball Respiratory Training as a Home-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Subjects With Moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial.
Xuan Chen, Cuiping Fu, Xiongbiao Wang and 4 others
PMID 40181209WHAT IT FOUND
With continued inhaled budesonide/formoterol, 12-week home Baduanjin, Tri-Ball Breath training, or both increased 6-minute walk distance versus routine care.
The paper does not show which component drives the combined result.
Key findings
01At 12 weeks, the primary outcome, 6-minute walk distance, improved significantly versus control in the Baduanjin and Tri-Ball groups (p < 0.05) and in the combination group (p < 0.01).
02At 12 weeks, with continued inhaled budesonide/formoterol, FEV1% increased significantly in the intervention groups, CAT, SGRQ, and TCM symptom scores were lower versus control, but mMRC dyspnea scores did not differ.
03At 24 weeks, mMRC dyspnea scores differed among groups, with Baduanjin and combination showing higher proportions of mMRC 0-1 versus control and Tri-Ball not differing; the paper reports no significant differences among groups in 6MWD, FEV1%, or self-assessment scales compared with 12 weeks.
STILL TO COME
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What it does not show
Patients were not blinded to their allocation, so expectations and co-interventions could influence reported outcomes. The study was conducted in 10 hospitals in Shanghai, so results may not apply elsewhere. Of 240 recruited, 23 were lost to follow-up, leaving 217 analysed. Participants had stable GOLD stage 2 or 3 COPD, and the study excluded severe COPD, acute exacerbation, disabling comorbidity, or exercise contraindications, so findings may not apply to more severe or unstable patients. The control group received routine healthcare without PR, not an active comparison, and the supplied text does not report direct comparisons of the combination group versus either single intervention. Adherence was encouraged by an exercise record book and nurse contact, but the supplied text does not report adherence rates. Improvements were reported at 12 weeks, but the paper states no statistically significant differences among groups in 6MWD, FEV1%, or self-assessment scales when compared with the 12-week assessment at 24 weeks.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest. The article is tagged as research support from a non-U.S. government source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that Baduanjin plus Tri-Ball Breath training is better than either component or that clear between-group differences persisted at 24 weeks. Participants knew their group, all continued inhaled budesonide/formoterol, and the paper reports no statistically significant differences among groups in 6MWD, FEV1%, or self-assessment scales when compared with the 12-week assessment.