The Effects of Tai Chi and Baduanjin Activities on Physical Interventions With Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Zhiming Tang, Zhicheng Zhu, Xia Zhang and 1 others
PMID 35847183WHAT IT FOUND
Tai Chi and Baduanjin lowered blood pressure and improved lung capacity in drug addicts versus routine rehabilitation.
Effects were strongest in men and in programs over 12 weeks. Balance and flexibility improved; weight and grip strength did not change.
Key findings
01Tai Chi and Baduanjin significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (p = .005), diastolic blood pressure (p = .0005), and improved lung capacity (p = .002) compared to routine rehabilitation.
02Balance (single-leg stand, MD 1.47) and flexibility (seated forward bend, MD 3.08) improved significantly (both p < .00001), while BMI (p = .97), body fat percentage (p = .91), and grip strength (p = .43) showed no significant change.
03The blood-pressure benefit was significant in men but not in women (systolic p = .57; diastolic p = .13 in the female subgroup), and was stronger when the program lasted longer than 12 weeks.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only six databases were searched, and the authors acknowledge this limits comprehensiveness. Most included studies had high risk of bias for participant and outcome-assessor blinding; only one study was double-blinded. The population is very specific: drug addicts in Chinese compulsory-isolation facilities, predominantly male, so the results may not generalise to outpatient or Western settings. Six of the 15 publications did not clearly state which drug the participants were using. Subgroup analyses were limited to four factors (gender, duration, weekly frequency, weekly minutes); drug type and age were not examined. Heterogeneity was high for several outcomes (I² up to 89%), and the pooled estimates depend on the random-effects model.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest declared. Funded by the Research Center for Sports and Health Innovation, Key Research Base of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Zigong, China (grant YDJKY19-04).
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the pooled blood-pressure result as evidence that Tai Chi works for all substance-use patients. The effect was driven by male participants in Chinese compulsory-isolation facilities. The female subgroup showed no significant change (p = .57 for systolic, p = .13 for diastolic), and most included studies had high risk of bias for blinding.
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