Qigong, a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise, has been shown to improve balance and gait in several neurological conditions; however, community-delivered qigong has never been assessed for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). We assessed the feasibility of community qigong classes for people with MS and explored outcomes of balance, gait, and quality of life (QOL).
Twenty adults with MS were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of community qigong classes or wait-list control. Feasibility criteria included recruitment, retention, adherence, and ability to participate in qigong movements. Secondary outcome measures included physical tests of mobility, gait and balance, and participant-reported mobility, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and QOL.
Because this is a small feasibility study, the data collected are meant to be hypothesis-generating. Any clinically meaningful trends toward improvement will justify further exploration of qigong for MS in a larger clinical trial.
