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. 2021 Apr 28:14:941-950.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S303945. eCollection 2021.

Effects of Health Qigong Exercises on Physical Function on Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Zhirong Wan  1 , Xiaolei Liu  2 , Hui Yang  3 , Fang Li  2 , Lingling Yu  4 , Lei Li  5 , Yulin Wang  6 , Hao Jiang  7 , Junjie Zou  8 , Jichen Du  1
Affiliations

Effects of Health Qigong Exercises on Physical Function on Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Zhirong Wan et al. J Multidiscip Healthc. .

Abstract

Purpose: To measure motor function improvements in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using Health Qigong exercises.

Patients and methods: Fifty-two PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr stages I to IV) were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Twenty-six PD patients in the experimental group were intervened with routine medicine and fitness Qigong exercise. The other 26 PD patients as the control group were treated only with regular medication. Twelve-week intervention had been conducted for the study, and participants completed the scheduled exercises 4 times per week for 60 minutes each time. Data which included the one-legged blind balance, physical coordination, and gait was collected before, during, and after the intervention. Comparisons were made between the experimental and control groups through the repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results: A total of 40 participants (77% response rate) completed the study. There was no significant difference in baseline data. After 12 weeks of Health Qigong therapy, the length of time the one-legged blind balance test had increased (P < 0.01), and the time it took to TUG test was reduced (P < 0.01). Joint range of motion and gait significantly improved. The control group's there were no significant differences in the above variables, except for joint range of motion, which decreased.

Conclusion: Health Qigong exercises can significantly improve physical functions in patients with PD, especially for the balance ability, gait, joint range of motion in patients with PD. It can reduce their activity risk factor and improve their quality of life.

Keywords: Health Qigong exercise; Parkinson’s disease; balance; gait; motor function.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr Zhirong Wan reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. Dr Xiaolei Liu reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. Professor Hui Yang reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. Miss Fang Li reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. Miss Lei Li reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. Professor Yulin Wang reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. Dr Hao Jiang reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. Prof. Dr. Jichen Du reports grants from Beijing Sport University, during the conduct of the study. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Knee joint flexion test chart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Hip extension test chart.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hip flexion test chart.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Shoulder joint test chart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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