What can we learn from the Baduanjin rehabilitation as COVID-19 treatment?: A narrative review.
Zhenggang Zhu, Xiaoyan Pan, Faping Zhong and 2 others
PMID 36575646WHAT IT FOUND
In 810 participants from 12 small Chinese studies, Baduanjin added to usual care was reported to reduce anxiety, depression, breathlessness and sleep problems, and improve activity endurance.
Many also received other treatments and participants knew assignment, so this does not prove Baduanjin alone works.
Key findings
01The review included 12 small studies with 810 participants, mostly randomised controlled trials conducted in Chinese hospitals, including shelter hospitals, from January to March 2020.
02Reported benefits were anxiety and depression, breathlessness, sleep quality, immunity and activity endurance, but five studies combined Baduanjin with music, acupoint massage or ear-point massage, so Baduanjin alone cannot be credited.
03The evidence is weak because participants were not blinded, settings were isolation hospitals, studies were small, and exercise schedules varied.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The included studies were small, with participant numbers ranging from 16 to 120. Participants were not blinded, and the studies were done in shelter hospitals during isolation. Only 12 studies were included, and the authors noted a lack of large, high-quality studies during pandemic restrictions. Exercise schedules varied, with sessions of 20 to 60 minutes, once to four times a day, for 7 to 30 days. Five studies combined Baduanjin with other treatments, so the effect of Baduanjin alone cannot be separated. The findings may not transfer to non-clinical settings. Only one included paper was published in English.
Declared interests
This review was funded by the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Project, Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department of the Chinese Government. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the reported improvements as proof that Baduanjin alone works. The review included small, unblinded studies, and five studies combined Baduanjin with music, acupoint massage or ear-point massage, so the contribution of Baduanjin alone cannot be separated.