AI Insight
This systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials found that Traditional Chinese Exercise (TCE) significantly improved cognition, sleep quality, and quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients. Tai Chi showed particular benefits for cognition and quality of life, while Health Qigong was most effective for sleep quality. Interventions lasting 12 weeks or longer with at least 180 minutes of weekly exercise appeared to produce better outcomes, especially in patients who had Parkinson's disease for 5 years or more.
Why it matters
These findings suggest that Traditional Chinese Exercise could serve as a non-pharmacological complementary therapy for managing multiple symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients. The identification of optimal intervention characteristics may help clinicians design more effective exercise programs tailored to patient needs.
ObjectiveThis review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the potential effects of Traditional Chinese Exercise (TCE) on cognition, sleep quality, and quality of life (QoL) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, and to explore intervention characteristics that may be associated with beneficial outcomes.MethodsWe searched five major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane, and Scopus) for randomized controlled trials up to March 2025. Studies assessing TCE in patients with PD were included. Data were pooled using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsFifteen trials met the inclusion criteria. TCE demonstrated significant overall improvements in cognition (SMD = 0.87, 95% CI [0.56, 1.19]), sleep quality (SMD, −0.88, 95% CI [−1.41, −0.34]), and QoL (SMD, −0.48, 95% CI [−0.66, −0.29]). Subgroup analyses revealed that interventions lasting ≥12 weeks and totaling ≥180 min per week may be associated with more favorable outcomes, although these findings should be interpreted cautiously. For exercise type, Tai Chi was particularly effective for cognition (SMD, 0.91, p < 0.0001) and QoL (SMD, −0.70, p < 0.00001), while Health Qigong was highly effective for sleep quality (SMD, −0.92, p = 0.01). Benefits were also more pronounced in patients with a disease duration of 5 years or more.ConclusionTCE may be beneficial for improving cognition, sleep quality, and QoL in patients with PD. Subgroup findings further suggest that intervention type, duration, and weekly exercise volume may be associated with differential outcomes.