Eight Brocades (Ba Duan Jin) for Treating Patients With Fibromyalgia
Condition: Fibromyalgia
MeSH terms: Fibromyalgia; Myofascial Pain Syndromes
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      In this randomized, usual therapy-controlled study, 62 patients with fibromyalgi (FM) were
      recruited with a ratio of 1:1. Trained and guided by Eight Brocades (EB) certified
      physicians, participant practiced EB one hour, twice a week for 12 weeks. Evaluation will be
      based on standard scales of pain, FM symptoms severity, degree of fatigue, depression, sleep
      quality and quality of life.
    

Detailed description: 
      The EB, also written as Ba Duan Jin, or Baduanjin, or Eight-Section Brocade, is a set of
      Qigong exercises that originated in China and date back thousands of years. It is a mind-body
      practice that combines meditation with slow, gentle, graceful movements, as well as deep
      breathing and relaxation, to move vital energy (or qi) throughout the body and is practiced
      as a rehabilitation exercise for various kinds of diseases. It is considered a complex,
      multicomponent intervention that integrates physical, psychosocial, emotional, spiritual, and
      behavioral elements. Participants in the EB group received a modified EB adapted by Chinese
      Medicine Master Zhi-zheng Lu, which was added several joint exercise movements to the
      traditional EB forms to specifically tailor it for patients with rheumatic diseases.

      FM is a common and complex clinical syndrome characterized by chronic and widespread
      musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and physical and psychological impairment.
      Evidence-based guidelines suggest that exercise is beneficial for FM and has been advocated
      as a core component of its treatment. Because of EB's mind-body attributes and it is easy to
      learn, we assume that it could be well suited for the treatment of FM.

      Patients enrolled in this trial will be randomly allocated into one of two groups: EB group
      and usual therapy-controlled group. Patients will be evaluated at baseline, at week 4, 8 and
      12. The primary outcome measure was a Visual Analogue Scales for pain (PVAS). Secondary
      outcome measures included the following: the Revised FM Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), the
      Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the
      Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Tender Points
      Count (TPC).
    

Intervention name(s): The Eight Brocades
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Patients received closely supervised, group-format EB program and practiced EB revised by Chinese Medicine Master Zhi-zheng Lu for one hour, twice weekly for 12 weeksmovements, a review of principles, and breathing techniques in EB. Participants will be asked to practice EB at home for at least 16 minutes each day which is how long it takes to complete an EB exercise, using an instructional Digital Video Disc. The program will be taught by experienced EB masters.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Fibromyalgia; Eight Brocades; Baduanjin; Qigong; Pain severity