Observational Study of Qigong as a Complementary Self-Care Practice at a Tertiary-Care Pain Management Unit

Abstract

Qigong, which can be characterized in many different ways, is offered as a complementary self-care practice at a tertiary-care pain management unit in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This report provides a quantitative and qualitative assessment of two groups engaged in qigong practice in this context as part of two Research in Medicine (RIM) projects (2014-15, 2016-17). It includes assessments of pain, mood, quality of life, sleep, and fatigue, considers outcomes in relation to the amount of practice, and considers whether health attitudes would help determine who might benefit from the practice. There were 43 participants (28 ongoing practitioners, 15 new to qigong). The ongoing practice group in RIM2 had significant benefits over time in pain, mood, quality of life, and fatigue in quantitative scores, but changes were not significant in RIM 1. There were no differences in any measures in those new to qigong. Qualitative comments in core and other domains reflected good or better outcomes in 16 subjects in the ongoing group who practiced consistently. In those who practiced less, results were more variable. In most of those new to qigong, the practice was limited and comments indicate minimal changes. Those engaged in qigong have a stronger internal health locus of control than control subjects. Diligent qigong practice provides multiple health benefits for those with chronic pain, and qualitative assessments are essential for documenting these effects. For those new to qigong, factors needed to effectively engage practice need to be explored further to optimize program delivery. The trial is registered with http://www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04279639).

Conflict of interest statement

DM conducted the qigong classes for the pain management unit. She also conducts community-based qigong classes. All other authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this study.

Copyright © 2021 Lauren Curry et al.

Figures

Figure 1

Average pain (a), average mood (b), and quality of life (c) from the RIM1 study start to 36 weeks of practice. Lower scores indicate less pain, less depression, and lower quality of life, respectively. Numbers below x-axis indicate those completing respective 6-week sessions. There were N = 29 participants in RIM1, but the 4 new subjects are included along with RIM2 new subjects to form a single group (see Figure 2). There were no significant longitudinal differences (P < 0.05 paired t-test) from the trial start (week 0) at any time.

Figure 2

Average pain (a), average mood (b), quality of life (c), sleep quality (d), and fatigue (e) from the RIM2 study start to 36 weeks of practice. The orange line represents ongoing participants (N = 18) and the blue line new participants (N = 14). The x-axis shows the week of practice (# of ongoing, # of new). Lower scores indicate less pain, less depression, lower quality of life, improved sleep quality, and improved fatigue, respectively. Significant differences (P < 0.05) from the trial start (week 0) are indicated as a diagonal crossover of the data point. Start values differed significantly (P < 0.05, marked with a horizontal crossover of the data point) for average pain rating (a) and average sleep quality (d), with new participants experiencing worse pain and poorer sleep than the ongoing participants. No other measures differed between groups from RIM2 study start to 36 weeks of practice.