Sotiropoulos Spyridon, Plavoukou Theodora, Georgoudis George
Physiotherapy Department and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Research Laboratory, University of West Attica (UNIWA), Athens, GRC.
Cureus. 2025 Mar 31;17(3):e81492. doi: 10.7759/cureus.81492. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Exercise-based interventions, particularly strengthening exercises, are widely used in rehabilitation. However, mind-body approaches such as Qigong, which integrate movement, breath control, and mindfulness, may offer additional psychological benefits. Despite evidence supporting Qigong in pain management, its effectiveness as an adjunct to physiotherapy remains unclear. This study compared the effects of Qigong versus strengthening exercises, integrated into a standardized physiotherapy program, on pain perception, disability, kinesiophobia, and proprioception in CNSLBP patients.
A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 42 participants who were assigned to either a Qigong combined with physiotherapy group, or a strengthening exercise combined with physiotherapy group for a duration of four weeks. Pain (Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, SFMPQ), disability (Greek Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, RMDQ), kinesiophobia (Greek Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, TSK), and proprioception (sway-length on a baropodometer) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Appropriate statistical analyses were conducted for within- and between-group comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Both groups showed significant within-group improvements in pain perception, disability, kinesiophobia, and proprioception (p<0.05). However, no statistically significant between-group differences were observed. A trend toward greater kinesiophobia reduction in the Qigong group (p=0.069) suggests a potential psychological benefit.
Qigong and strengthening exercises, when combined with physiotherapy, are equally effective in improving CNSLBP symptoms. Future research should explore longer interventions (>12 weeks) and larger trials to determine whether Qigong offers distinct advantages over conventional exercise programs.
慢性非特异性下腰痛（CNSLBP）是全球致残的主要原因。基于运动的干预措施，特别是强化锻炼，在康复中被广泛应用。然而，诸如气功等身心疗法，将运动、呼吸控制和正念相结合，可能会带来额外的心理益处。尽管有证据支持气功在疼痛管理中的作用，但其作为物理治疗辅助手段的有效性仍不明确。本研究比较了将气功与强化锻炼纳入标准化物理治疗方案后，对CNSLBP患者疼痛感知、功能障碍、运动恐惧和本体感觉的影响。
进行了一项随机对照试验（RCT），42名参与者被分配到气功联合物理治疗组或强化锻炼联合物理治疗组，为期四周。在干预前后评估疼痛（简短麦吉尔疼痛问卷，SFMPQ）、功能障碍（希腊罗兰·莫里斯功能障碍问卷，RMDQ）、运动恐惧（希腊坦帕运动恐惧量表，TSK）和本体感觉（压力平台上的摆动长度）。对组内和组间比较进行了适当的统计分析。统计学显著性设定为p<0.05。
两组在疼痛感知、功能障碍、运动恐惧和本体感觉方面均显示出显著的组内改善（p<0.05）。然而，未观察到组间统计学显著差异。气功组运动恐惧减少的趋势更大（p = 0.069），这表明可能存在心理益处。
气功和强化锻炼与物理治疗相结合时，在改善CNSLBP症状方面同样有效。未来的研究应探索更长时间的干预（>12周）和更大规模的试验，以确定气功是否比传统运动方案具有明显优势。
