Tai chi plus yoga improves functional fitness, quality of life in older men with COPD

Key takeaways:

• With tai chi + yoga participation, respiratory rate, FEV₁/FVC percent, left grip strength and more improved.
• Better quality of life was found via St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire scores.

Older men with COPD experienced improved lung function, functional fitness and quality of life after partaking in a tai chi plus yoga program for 12 weeks, according to results published in Respiratory Medicine.

“Clinicians may consider incorporating mind-body exercises like tai chi and yoga into COPD rehabilitation, as these interventions are safe, feasible and effective in improving pulmonary function, functional fitness and overall quality of life,” Amornpan Ajjimaporn, PhD, associate professor in the College of Sports Science and Technology at Mahidol University, told Healio.

“The tai chi and yoga combining program offers a comprehensive approach to addressing common COPD-related limitations, such as dyspnea, fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance, by improving both respiratory and physical function,” Ajjimaporn continued. “It may serve as an adjunct to traditional pulmonary rehabilitation to enhance patient outcomes.”

Ajjimaporn and colleagues evaluated 24 older men (mean age, 70 years) with moderate to severe COPD to uncover how a 70-minute program involving both tai chi and yoga performed three times a week impacts lung function, quality of life and functional fitness after 12 weeks.

Half of the population participated in the tai chi plus yoga program, whereas the remaining half served as controls.

With respect to safety, none of the patients assigned to the tai chi plus yoga program experienced a complication, according to the study.

By week 12, researchers reported significant percentage changes in several of the assessed outcomes from baseline among those in the tai chi plus yoga group vs. the control group:

• resting heart rate;
• respiratory rate;
• FEV₁/FVC percent; and
• maximal inspiratory pressure.

Based on changes in St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total, symptoms, impacts and activities scores, with lower scores signaling no health impairment, the study noted that each score significantly went down between baseline and week 12 in the intervention group.

In this same timeframe, control patients had increased SGRQ total, activities and impacts scores.

Additionally, researchers checked patients’ functional fitness every 4 weeks to find out when improvements started taking place and reported improved measures early on at the 4-week mark.

At this time point, patients performing tai chi plus yoga vs. control patients had significantly improved 30-second chair stand test, left grip strength test and 8-foot up and go test results. This pattern continued to be seen during the 8-week and 12-week assessments, with the addition of significant improvements in the 30-second arm curl test at both times and in the sit and reach test at week 12, according to the study.

“The extent of improvement in functional fitness and quality of life among COPD patients after just 4 weeks of tai chi and yoga training was a positive surprise,” Ajjimaporn told Healio. “Despite expecting gradual improvements, participants experienced notable benefits early on, such as enhanced lower body strength and dynamic balance.

“These early gains underscore the potential of mind-body exercises to provide rapid, tangible benefits for COPD patients,” Ajjimaporn continued.

In terms of adherence in the intervention group, researchers reported a high rate.

“The high adherence rate to the tai chi and yoga combining program among participants highlights its acceptability, suggesting a strong potential for implementation in clinical settings,” Ajjimaporn told Healio. “COPD patients may find it a sustainable option for long-term physical activity.”

Notably, as a final measure, researchers conducted a multivariate regression analysis and identified three confounders that could have an impact on some of the observed outcomes of tai chi plus yoga program participation: baseline data, smoking status and severity.

“Future research could explore gender differences, as our study focused solely on male participants,” Ajjimaporn told Healio. “Including both male and female patients would provide insight into potential gender-specific responses to this intervention.

“Additionally, studies with a longer duration and larger sample size would be beneficial for validating these results and determining optimal implementation strategies in clinical practice,” Ajjimaporn added.

For more information:

Amornpan Ajjimaporn, PhD, can be reached at amornpan.ajj@mahidol.ac.th.