Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Nov 20;23(1):418.
doi: 10.1186/s12906-023-04238-8.

Effects of pulmonary-based Qigong exercise in stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized controlled trial

Linhong Jiang #  1 , Peijun Li #  1 , Jiacheng Shi  1 , Yidie Bao  1 , Zhenwei Wang  2 , Weibing Wu  3 , Xiaodan Liu  4   5   6
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of pulmonary-based Qigong exercise in stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized controlled trial

Linhong Jiang et al. BMC Complement Med Ther. .

Abstract

Background: Physical exercise training is the central component of pulmonary rehabilitation. This study aimed to further investigate the rehabilitative effects of pulmonary-based Qigong exercise (PQE) in stable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: In this randomized, assessor-blinded clinical trial, 44 participants with stable COPD were randomly assigned to 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the control group received usual care for 3 months. Participants in the intervention group received usual care combined with PQE (60 min each time, 2 times per day, 7 days per week, for 3 months). The outcome included exercise capacity, lung function test, skeletal muscle strength, dyspnea, and quality of life were measured before and after intervention.

Results: A total of 37 participants completed the trial. Compared to the control group, after 3 months of PQE, the mean change in exercise capacity, skeletal muscle strength, and quality of life were statistically significant (P < 0.05, for each), but no significant differences were observed in lung function (except for the forced expiratory volume in one second) and dyspnea (P > 0.05, for each).

Conclusion: The findings of study suggest that the proposed program of 3 months of PQE intervention has significant improvement in exercise capacity, skeletal muscle strength, and quality of life of COPD-stable patients.

Trial registration: This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Trial ID: ChiCTR-1800017405 on 28 July 2018; available at https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=28343 ).

Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Rehabilitation; Traditional Chinese exercise.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Main characteristics of pulmonary-based Qigong exercise. a Rise-up position. b “hu” sounding. c “si” sounding. d Pushing up the sky to regulate the triple warmer. e Drawing a bow to shoot a vulture. f Crane spread its wings. g Crane exercise of the crane flies. h Cross-armed iron staff. i Restore position
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flowchart of study participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Stolz D, Mkorombindo T, Schumann DM, et al. Towards the elimination of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a Lancet Commission. Lancet. 2022;400(10356):921–972. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01273-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease. Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2023 REPORT). 2023. https://goldcopd.org/2023-gold-report-2/. Accessed 14 Nov 2022.
    1. Cavaillès A, Brinchault-Rabin G, Dixmier A, et al. Comorbidities of COPD. Eur Respir Rev. 2013;22(130):454–475. doi: 10.1183/09059180.00008612. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Donaldson AV, Maddocks M, Martolini D, et al. Muscle function in COPD: a complex interplay. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2012;7:523–535. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zeng Y, Jiang F, Chen Y, et al. Exercise assessments and trainings of pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD: a literature review. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2018;13:2013–2023. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S167098. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types