Abstract
Background/Purpose: Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths globally, with approximately 684,000 deaths from falls each year, and older adults are at the highest risk of death or serious injury due to imbalance, with risk increasing with age. Coupled with the accelerating global aging process, the safety of the elderly population due to fall imbalance should be taken seriously. Qigong, one of the classic traditional Chinese exercises, is beneficial for improving the physical fitness of the elderly. However, few studies have reported the effect of Qigong on fall risk in older adults. Therefore, we conducted this systematic review to investigate the effects of traditional Chinese Qigong on balance and fall-related factors in the elderly population. Method: Using keywords such as “falls,” “balance function,” “older adults,” and “Qigong,” RCTs related to the influence of Chinese traditional Qigong on balance function and fall prevention among older adults were searched from PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscuss, CNKI, and Wanfang in Spring 2024. Subsequently, literature screening and quality assessment were performed. Results: Ten articles were included in this review. The intervention strategy consisted mainly of Qigong Baduanjin and Wuqinxi. A total of 925 healthy older adults aged 60–80 years were included. The duration of the intervention ranged from 1 to 12 months. The frequency of the intervention ranged from 30–60 minutes of exercise 2–7 times per week. Findings showed that nine studies demonstrated a significant effect on improvement of balance or fall prevention in older adults with traditional Chinese Qigong exercises (all p < 0.05). The one study with no intervention effect on dynamic balance ability may be because of visual change interference in the open eye state. Conclusion/Discussion: Based on the studies reviewed, it seemed that traditional Chinese Qigong was effective in reducing the risk of falls in the elderly. Qigong is mainly used to prevent falls by improving static and dynamic balance, coordination, and lower limb muscle strength in older adults. However, existing studies mostly validate the application effects and lack in-depth mechanism investigation. There is also no clear harmonization of exercise time, frequency, intensity, and systematic regimen of Qigong interventions. Therefore, we recommend researchers conduct more studies to further clarify the potential mechanisms of Qigong for fall prevention and their exercise prescription.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call