What can we learn from the Baduanjin rehabilitation as COVID-19 treatment?: A narrative review

AimTo understand Baduanjin rehabilitation therapy in mild COVID-19 patients. DesignA narrative review. MethodsA literature search for COVID-19 and Baduanjin treatments was conducted on Chinese and English electronic databases: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Ebscohost, SPORTDiscus and ProQuest. ResultsTwelve studies on the Baduanjin rehabilitation for COVID-19 patients have been included. We acknowledged the considerable published research and current clinical practice using Baduanjin for COVID-19 treatment in the following areas: anxiety, depression, insomnia, lung function rehabilitation, immunity and activity endurance. ConclusionThe use of Baduanjin as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients' rehabilitation is still limited, therefore, more clinical studies are needed to confirm its efficacy.

Automated summary

Based on a literature review, this study found that Baduanjin rehabilitation therapy has certain effects in the rehabilitation of mild COVID-19 patients. It can alleviate anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and has positive impacts on lung function rehabilitation, immunity, and activity endurance. However, the use of Baduanjin as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 patients' rehabilitation is still limited, and more clinical studies are needed to confirm its efficacy.