Efficacy of Baduanjin Exercise in COVID-19 Contraction Patients With Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- Cairo University
- Enrollment
- 40
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Pulmonary function: By Spirometry Device:
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Post-COVID recovery is associated with reduced functional fitness/capacity, low quality of life, and physical disabilities in those who survived after contracting the disease. The unpleasant symptoms of chronic post-viral/post-COVID syndrome (chronic fatigue perception, variant nonspecific myalgia, bad mood or depression, and insomnia or sleep disturbances) usually magnify the symptoms of already existing previously diagnosed concurrent untreatable chronic disorders , including the idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF).(Leszczak et al., 2024)
Baduanjin exercise training (BET) is one of the Chinese traditional Health-Qigong exercises that not only integrate slow coordinating postures/positions, breathing techniques, musculoskeletal stretching movements/positions, and meditative mind but also plays a strong role concerning health benefits (e.g. musculoskeletal pain-reducing, sleep disturbance-enhancing effects, and fatigue-reducing effects) (Zou et al., 2018).
Detailed Description
forty idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) patients will be randomly assigned into two equal groups (n=20)
- Study group (20 patients) this group will be supervised daily, except Fridays, during the 60-minute session of 12-week BET) or waitlist group
- Control group (20 patients)
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 50 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •• 40 patients will be recruited in the study.
- •age ≥ 18 to ≤ 50 years old
- •achieved three diagnostic items/criteria of ICF will be included in this BET trial: Fatigue lasting over 6 months, which significantly limits daily activities, reducing the person's usual activity level by more than 50%, as confirmed by a doctor.
- •At least three of the following symptoms:
- •Generalized muscle weakness Difficulty sleeping Frequent headaches A painful throat Muscle tenderness throughout the body Migratory joint pain Swollen lymph nodes in the neck or armpits Fatigue lasting more than a day after typical activities
Exclusion Criteria
- •Patients with a history of medical or complementary treatments for ICF disorder in the 6 months before contracting COVID or after recovery.
- •Individuals who have engaged in therapeutic exercise, pharmacological treatments, or complementary therapies for post-COVID symptoms within the last six months prior to enrollment.
- •ICF patients regularly using antidepressants or antipsychotics were excluded.
- •Those who take sleeping pills regularly were also excluded.
- •Patients with autoimmune diseases, malignant conditions, anemia, endocrine disorders, systemic diseases, or osteoarthritis affecting the cervical spine, lumbar region, or limbs were excluded.
- •Individuals with abnormal results in laboratory tests, including neurological, neurophysiological, cardiological, liver/kidney function tests, or urine/stool analyses (as determined by a physician) were excluded.
Arms & Interventions
Baduanjin exercise training
Each BET session consisted of a 10-minute warm-up and a 10-minute cool-down period [Xia et al., 2023]. These were followed by a 40-minute BET segment, which typically involved eight distinct body postures. These postures are based on the "Health Qigong Baduanjin Standard," as outlined in Zhao et al. [2019] and Koh [1982]. The eight postures are: (1) Support the Heaven, (2) Draw a Bow to Each Side, (3) Hold Up a Single Hand, (4) Practice Looking Back, (5) Shake the Hand and Wag the Tail, (6) Touch the Feet with Both Hands, (7) Climbing with Both Hands, and (8) Relax the Back, as explained in Zeng et al. [2020]
Intervention: Baduanjin exercise training (BET) (Other)
waitlist
this group will receive no intervention
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Pulmonary function: By Spirometry Device:
Time Frame: By Spirometry Device: forced vital capacity will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured after twelve weeks again
• Pulmonary function: By Spirometry Device: it measure ventilatory functions. forced vital capacity (FVC)
Secondary Outcomes
- Pulmonary function: By Spirometry Device:(By Spirometry Device forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured after twelve weeks again)
- Measuring functional capacity: By Six-minute walk test (6MWT)(Measuring functional capacity: By Six-minute walk test (6MWT)::will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- Modified Borg dyspnea scale (MBDS)(Modified Borg dyspnea scale (MBDS) will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- Strength of lower limb muscles By a thirty-second sit-to-stand test(thirty-second sit-to-stand test will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- Endurance of upper limb muscles: by the maximal repetitions of push-ups (MRPU).(the maximal repetitions of push-ups (MRPU). will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- Cardiorespiratory fitness:by the index of Ruffier test (IRT).(Cardiorespiratory fitness:by the index of Ruffier test (IRT). will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- Quality of life: by the short form 36 questionnaire (SF)(Quality of life: by the short form 36 questionnaire (SF) will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- sleep quality by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI):(sleep quality by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI):will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- Beck Depression Inventory (BDI):(Beck Depression Inventory (BDI):will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
- fatigue assessment by Buzhongyiqi-Tang questionnaire (BZTQ):(Buzhongyiqi-Tang questionnaire (BZTQ)::will be measured at baseline, and it will be measured again after twelve weeks)
Investigators
Alaa Mohamed El-Moatasem Mohamed
lecturer of physical therapy
Cairo University