Integrating Baduanjin exercise into Parkinson's rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether adding Baduanjin exercise to conventional physiotherapy improves balance, functional mobility, walking capacity, and motor signs compared with conventional physiotherapy alone in nursing-home residents with Parkinson's disease. Methods: This assessor-blinded, two-group randomized controlled trial included 30 participants allocated equally to conventional physiotherapy (CPT) or Baduanjin plus conventional physiotherapy (BDJ + CPT). CPT consisted of supervised 45-min sessions three times weekly for 12 weeks; the intervention group received an additional 15 min of supervised Baduanjin during each session. Twenty-seven participants completed follow-up and were included in the complete-case analysis (BDJ + CPT, Results: At 12 weeks, BDJ + CPT was associated with a higher adjusted BBS score than CPT alone (adjusted mean difference, 9.93 points; 95% CI, 3.64 to 16.23; Holm-adjusted Conclusion: In this small, single-site randomized trial, adding Baduanjin to conventional physiotherapy was associated with a higher BBS score and a longer 6MWT distance at 12 weeks after baseline adjustment. Additional benefits for TUG or MDS-UPDRS III were not demonstrated. Larger, prospectively powered trials are needed to determine the specific and clinically meaningful contribution of Baduanjin to Parkinson's rehabilitation. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT07306169.