Baduanjin exercise for patients with knee osteoarthritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common chronic degenerative disorder with an increasingly prevalence among the older individuals and the leading cause of pain in the elderly. Baduanjin, one of the ancient traditional Chinese mind-body exercise routine, has been recognized to have clinical benefits for KOA. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Baduanjin for patients with KOA through this systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Four English databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science), and 4 Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, and Wanfang Database), will be searched from establishment of the database until October 2020. The reference lists and the citation lists of studies meeting the inclusion criteria will also be searched to identify further studies for inclusion. The search languages are English and Chinese. The randomized controlled trials of Baduanjin training for patients with KOA will be included. The primary outcome will be assessed according to the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Meta-analysis will be conducted with the use of RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: The results of this research will be submitted to a peer-reviewed publications. CONCLUSION: This systematic review aims to present evidence for whether Baduanjin training is an effective intervention which can improve both physical condition and life quality in patients suffering KOA. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202090051.