Training in ChiRunning to reduce blood pressure: a randomized controlled pilot study
Author: Kelly McDermott 1*, Deepak Kumar 2, Veronica Goldman 1, Haojun Feng 1, Wolf Mehling 1, Judith T. Moskowitz 3, Richard B. Souza 24 and Frederick M. Hecht 1
Affiliation:
1 Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), 1545 Divisadero St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco 94115, CA, USA 2 Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA 3 Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA 4 Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
Conference/Journal: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Date published: 2015
Other:
Volume ID: 15 , Pages: 368 , Word Count: 318
Background
People with prehypertension (120–130/80–90 mmHg) are at increased risk of progressing to hypertension. Recommendations for prehypertension include engaging in regular physical activity. We aimed to assess feasibility and acceptability and collect preliminary outcome data on ChiRunning for people with elevated blood pressure. ChiRunning is a commercially available running program based on the mindful movements of Tai Chi, which is aimed at decreasing injury by both increasing body awareness and modifying running form.
Methods
We enrolled adults with elevated systolic (130–150 mmHg) or diastolic (80–100 mmHg) blood pressure in a 12-week pilot trial. Participants were randomized 2:1:1 to 8 weeks of: 1) intervention—a trainer-led ChiRunning group (n = 10); 2) active control—a trainer-led running group (n = 6); or 3) educational control—a self-directed running group (n = 6) and followed for 4 more weeks. The active control and educational control groups were combined for analysis.
Results
This study was feasible, meeting recruitment, retention and adherence goals, and acceptable to participants. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not change significantly over the study for either the ChiRunning or control groups. Changes in BMI over time were significantly different from zero in the ChiRunning group (p = 0.04) but not in the control group (slope for ChiRunning −0.05 [−0.1 to −0.002] vs. control −0.01 [−0.06 to 0.04], between slope difference, p = 0.22). Self-reported running-related injury (i.e. discomfort leading to a decrease in running) was similar between groups (ChiRunning, 4 [1.2 to 8.4] vs. control, 3 [0.7 to 7.1] injuries per 100 h of running, p = 0.72) although self-reported running-related discomfort (i.e. discomfort that does not lead to changes in running) trended higher in the ChiRunning group (ChiRunning, 10 [5.4 to 16.8] vs. control, 4 [1.5 to 9] reports of discomfort per 100 h of running, p = 0.06).
Conclusion
ChiRunning appears to be a feasible and acceptable exercise program for people with elevated blood pressure. We did not find that ChiRunning had a significant impact on blood pressure or self reported injury, but did see a positive change in BMI over time. ChiRunning warrants further investigation in a larger trial.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01587183
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