Effects of Baduanjin exercise in alleviating symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

Baduanjin exercise has shown promise in improving symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), though existing studies are often limited by small sample sizes and a reliance on subjective measures. More robust evidence is needed to further establish its clinical benefits.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effects of Baduanjin exercise on disease impact, pain, sleep quality, fatigue, and muscle activation in patients with FMS, using both subjective and objective measures.

METHODS

This assessor-blinded, two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted at a university-affiliated hospital in Changchun. Adults with a formal diagnosis of FMS were randomly assigned (1:1) to Baduanjin group or control group. The Baduanjin group engaged in 30 min of supervised Baduanjin exercise daily for 4 weeks, while the control group received standard therapy for the same duration. Assessments were conducted at baseline, week 4, and week 8. The primary outcome was the change in Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) score. Secondary outcomes included Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used as an exploratory measure of muscle activation, quantified by the root mean square (RMS) of the signal. Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle.

RESULTS

Seventy-four participants (mean [SD] age, 47.96 [9.54] years; 41 [55.41%] female) were randomized to the Baduanjin (n = 37) and control (n = 37) groups. At week 4, the Baduanjin group showed a significant improvement in disease impact (FIQR; MD, -4.49 points; P = 0.005), muscle activation (sEMG RMS; MD, +24.9 μV left, +26.4 μV right; P = 0.014 and P = 0.038), pain intensity (VAS; MD, -0.78 points; P = 0.037), pain extent (WPI; MD, -1.91 points; P < 0.001), sleep quality (PSQI; MD, -1.65 points; P = 0.001), and fatigue (MFI-20; MD, -4.74 points; P = 0.001) compared with the control group. At week 8, between-group differences in pain intensity and disease impact were no longer significant, but improvements in pain extent, sleep quality and fatigue persisted in the Baduanjin group. Mild adverse events were reported in both groups, with no serious adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Baduanjin exercise is a safe and effective non-pharmacological intervention that provides short-term improvements in overall disease burden and multidimensional symptoms in FMS, supporting its use as a complementary mind-body strategy in clinical management.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ITMCTR2025001832.