Exploring the Effects of Qigong, Tai Chi, and Yoga on Fatigue, Mental Health, and Sleep Quality in Chronic Fatigue and Post-COVID Syndromes: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis


Author: Hermann Fricke-Comellas1,2, Alberto Marcos Heredia-Rizo2,3, María Jesús Casuso-Holgado2,3, Jesús Salas-González1,2, Lourdes María Fernández-Seguín2,3

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Departamento de Fisioterapia, Facultad de Enfermería, Fisioterapia y Podología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41009 Sevilla, Spain.

<sup>2</sup> CTS 1110: Understanding Movement and Self in Health from Science (UMSS) Research Group, 41009 Andalusia, Spain.

<sup>3</sup> Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBiS, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Seville, Spain.
Conference/Journal: Healthcare (Basel)
Date published: 2024 Oct 11
Other:
 Volume ID: 12   ,  Issue ID: 20   ,  Pages: 2020   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.3390/healthcare12202020.   ,  Word Count: 268  
    Background/Objectives: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and post-COVID syndrome (PCS) pose a substantial socioeconomic burden. The aim of this systematic review was to assess current evidence regarding the effect of the most popular forms of movement-based mindful exercises, i.e., qigong, tai chi, and yoga, on fatigue and associated symptoms in CFS and PCS. Methods: CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched from inception to October 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) where qigong, tai chi, or yoga were compared with waitlist, no intervention, or active controls were included. Independent reviewers participated in data extraction, and evaluated risk of bias, spin of information, completeness of intervention description, and certainty of the evidence (GRADE). Meta-analyses were conducted. The primary outcome was the level of fatigue. Secondary measures were the severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms and sleep quality. Results were expressed as mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Thirteen RCTs with 661 participants were included, with most studies presenting a moderate or high risk of bias. Mindful exercises were more effective than control interventions to alleviate fatigue: SMD (95%CI) = -0.44 (-0.63 to -0.25), I2 = 48%, p < 0.0001. Positive effects were also observed for secondary outcomes. The certainty of the evidence was low or very low. Conclusions: Qigong, tai chi, and yoga may be effective to reduce fatigue and improve anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in adults with CFS or PCS. However, serious methodological concerns limit the clinical applicability of these findings.



Keywords: chronic; exercise movement techniques; fatigue syndrome; mind–body therapies; post-acute COVID-19 syndrome; qigong; tai ji; yoga.



PMID: 39451436 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12202020