Traditional Chinese medicine training for cardiac rehabilitation: a randomized comparison with aerobic and resistance training.

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of different exercise regimens in the rehabilitation of patients with stable coronary heart disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This study was a randomized controlled trial to screen 141 patients with stable coronary heart disease who were admitted to the General Administration of Sport of China Sports Medical Science Institute from January 2018 to September 2018. They were randomly divided into the aerobic and resistance training (ART) group for 12 weeks (36 cases), the traditional Chinese medicine training (TCMT) group 12 weeks (37 cases), and the control (CON) group (39 cases). We analyzed the baseline parameters of all participants and the 12-week exercise plate test parameters and related physical and body parameters.

RESULT

After 12 weeks of intervention, volume of oxygen (VO2), VO2/kg, metabolic equivalents, VO2/heart rate, stroke volume, and peaked grip strength and flexibility parameters of the ART group and the TCMT group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). Resting heart rate of the TCMT group was significantly lower than the CON group, but there was no significant difference between the ART and CON groups (P>0.05). Ventilation/VO2 of the TCMT group was significantly higher than that of the CON group. BMI of the ART group was significantly lower than that of the TCMT group and the CON group, and body fat mass of the TCMT group was significantly smaller than that of the ART group, but there was no difference between the TCMT group and the CON group for BMI and body fat mass.

CONCLUSION

Both ART and TCMT can improve the cardiopulmonary aerobic exercise capacity and physical fitness of patients with stable coronary heart disease. Although the degree of improvement is different, they all have certain effects on the rehabilitation of patients with stable coronary heart disease and the application is safe.