Efficacy of Baduanjin Exercise in COVID-19 Contraction Patients With Idiopathic Chronic Fatigue
Post-COVID recovery is associated with reduced functional fitness/capacity, low quality of life, and physical disabilities in those who survived after contracting the disease. The unpleasant symptoms of chronic post-viral/post-COVID syndrome (chronic fatigue perception, variant nonspecific myalgia, bad mood or depression, and insomnia or sleep disturbances) usually magnify the symptoms of already existing previously diagnosed concurrent untreatable chronic disorders , including the idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF).(Leszczak et al., 2024) Baduanjin exercise training (BET) is one of the Chinese traditional Health-Qigong exercises that not only integrate slow coordinating postures/positions, breathing techniques, musculoskeletal stretching movements/positions, and meditative mind but also plays a strong role concerning health benefits (e.g. musculoskeletal pain-reducing, sleep disturbance-enhancing effects, and fatigue-reducing effects) (Zou et al., 2018).
• • 40 patients will be recruited in the study.
‣ age ≥ 18 to ≤ 50 years old
⁃ achieved three diagnostic items/criteria of ICF will be included in this BET trial: Fatigue lasting over 6 months, which significantly limits daily activities, reducing the person's usual activity level by more than 50%, as confirmed by a doctor.
∙ At least three of the following symptoms:
∙ Generalized muscle weakness Difficulty sleeping Frequent headaches A painful throat Muscle tenderness throughout the body Migratory joint pain Swollen lymph nodes in the neck or armpits Fatigue lasting more than a day after typical activities