The Safety of Baduanjin Exercise: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES: Baduanjin exercise is a form of Qigong exercise therapy that has become increasingly popular worldwide. The aims of the current systematic review were to summarize reported adverse events potentially associated with Baduanjin exercise based on currently available literature and to evaluate the quality of the methods used to monitor adverse events in the trials assessed. METHODS: The English databases PubMed, Cochrane library, and EMbase were searched from inception to October 2020 using the keywords “Baduanjin” or “eight session brocade.” Only studies that included Baduanjin exercise therapy were included. RESULTS: Forty-seven trials with a total of 3877 participants were included in this systematic review. Twenty-two studies reported protocols for monitoring adverse events, and two studies reported the occurrence of adverse events during training. The adverse events reported included palpitation, giddiness, knee pain, backache, fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, shoulder pain, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and muscle ache. CONCLUSIONS: Only two studies reported adverse events that were potentially caused by Baduanjin exercise. Adverse events related to Baduanjin exercise in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome may include muscle ache, palpitation, giddiness, knee pain, backache, fatigue, nervousness, dizziness, shoulder pain, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Further studies conducted in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement guideline incorporating monitoring of adverse events are recommended. Additional clinical trials in which Baduanjin exercise is used as a main intervention are needed, and further meta-analysis may be required to assess its safety and reach more informed conclusions in this regard in the future.