Abstract
BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease with a poor prognosis that causes fibrosis in the interstitial space of the lungs, characterized by shortness of breath and progressive deterioration of lung function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of online Baduanjin exercise training on the functional capacity, respiratory function, and quality of life of patients with IPF. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with IPF were enrolled. The participants were randomly assigned to either an exercise or control group. The exercise group received 24 sessions of supervised online Baduanjin exercise: three days per week for eight weeks. It was also done unsupervised once per week at home. The patients in the control group did not receive any training during the eight week period. Patients were assessed using the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), spirometry, respiratory muscle strength (MIP/MEP), and quality of life using the St-George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) at baseline and after eight weeks. RESULTS: After eight weeks, spirometry parameters were preserved, while MIP, MEP, 6MWT, 6MWT (% predicted), SGRQ-Activity, SGRQ-Impact, and SGRQ-Total scores demonstrated significant improvements in the exercise group (p < .05). Statistically significant between group differences were found in 6MWT (%predicted), FEV(1) (% predicted), FVC (% predicted), MIP, MEP SGRQ-Symptom, SGRQ-Activity, SGRQ-Impact, and SGRQ-Total (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Baduanjin exercise training delivered through an online platform had a positive impact on the functional exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength, and quality of life of these patients with IPF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06372353. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13030-025-00346-8.