Objective: This randomized controlled clinical trial examined the efficacy of a Qigong exercise on non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: Non-motor symptoms are common and impact quality of life in patients with PD. There has been no optimal therapeutic intervention for non-motor symptoms. Qigong exercise is a mind-body approach that integrates the meditation, deep breathing, and rhythmic body movement and showed benefits in multiple symptoms such as sleep, pain, and fatigue in people with various health conditions. Up to date, no study has examined the effect of Qigong exercise on non-motor symptoms in patients with PD.
Method: We conducted a randomized controlled efficacy trial using “Six Healing Sounds” Qigong exercise in patients diagnosed with PD. In this study, 52 patients with PD were enrolled and randomly assigned into a Qigong group (QG, n=27) or a sham Qigong group (SQG, n=25). The SQG group practiced the same body movement as the QG group did, but no meditation or deep breathing. The participants were assessed using the PD sleep scale (PDSS-2), PD fatigue scale (PFS), Frontal Assessment Battery (Frontal AB), Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).
Results: Thirty-four participants (n=17 in QG, n=17 in SQG) completed the 10-week intervention and pre/post-intervention assessments. There were significant differences (p<0.05) between the QG and SQG groups in the changes of PDSS-2 and Frontal AB scores. The changes in PFS and GDS showed trends toward significant differences between the two groups.
Conclusion: The results of this randomized controlled clinical trial demonstrated significant benefits of the Qigong exercise in people with PD in sleep quality and cognitive function, and potentially in fatigue and depression, compared to a sham Qigong. Future research is needed to identify biological mechanism of Qigong exercise on non-motor symptoms and develop optimal implementation strategies to promote Qigong exercise in people with PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
W. Liu, I. Smirnova, Z. Liu, K. Lyons, R. Pahwa. Qigong Exercise on Nonmotor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/qigong-exercise-on-nonmotor-symptoms-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/qigong-exercise-on-nonmotor-symptoms-in-parkinsons-disease/