Optimal Exercise Parameters of Baduanjin for Balance in Elderly Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Yikun Yang ¹ Enjing Li ^1* Zixin Gong ^2* Mauri Tualaulelei ^1* Zhiwei Zhao ^1* Zhiyan Zhang ^3*

• ¹ Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
• ² Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
• ³ Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China

Baduanjin represents an affordable and secure method of exercising both the mind and body, and has been observed to enhance balance in older adults. Nevertheless, the existing research on the impact of Baduanjin on various balance functions is still insufficient, and the optimal dosage parameters for performing Baduanjin exercises have not been studied. Methods: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis, five English databases and three Chinese databases were performed. Relevant studies were searched by GOOGLE SCHOLAR, Web of Science, Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed, CNKI, SinoMed and WangfangMed using "Baduanjin" and "balance."Subgroup analyses were conducted to investigate the influence of different exercise parameters on the observed outcomes. Meta-regression was employed to identify potential moderating factors. The Physical Therapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used for quality assessment. Results: A total of 41 studies were included in the analysis, while the majority of studies report promising outcomes, the overall quality of these studies is relatively low. The results of the meta-analysis showed Baduanjin significantly enhanced static balance (SMD=0.87, 95%CI: 0.69-1.05), dynamic balance(SMD=0.74, 95%CI:0.43-1.05), proactive balance(SMD=-0.96, 95%CI:-1.28~-0.65) and balance test battery (SMD=1.04, 95%CI: 0.81~1.28) in older adults. Additionally, the findings indicated a notable reduction in the risk of falls(SMD=-2.19, 95%CI: -3.35--1.04) and an improvement in fall efficacy (SMD: 0.57, 95%CI: 0.36-0.78).Baduanjin has been demonstrated to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls in older adults. Studies have found that significant gains begin to be achieved with a minimum of 12 weeks of practice and that 30-49 minutes of practice, 5-7 times per week, works best for developing different balances. However, most of the included studies were limited by a lack of blinding and follow-up visits, and there was an insufficient number of short-term or long-term studies to establish complete optimal parameters robustly.