Progressive relaxation with Qigong on improving the quality of life in cardiac rehab patients

A total of 65 subjects, with a mean age of 65 (range, 42 to 76), were recruited for the study. Their cardiac diseases included myocardial infarct, post-coronary intervention, valve replacement, and ischemic heart disease. Patients were alternately allocated to two groups: the first group of patients received instructions and practiced progressive relaxation. The second group underwent training in qigong. A total of eight sessions were conducted, each session lasting 20 minutes.

Outcomes were measured with the Quality of Life assessment, using the Chinese versions of Short Form 36 (C-SF36), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (C-STAI), and General Health Questionnaire (C-GHQ-12). Fifty-nine (59) subjects (44 men and 15 women) completed all eight rehabilitation sessions in the study. Progressive relaxation was found to be more effective in reducing blood pressures compared to qigong, and appeared to be particularly beneficial in somatic domains. The qigong group demonstrated greater improvement in psychologic measures, in addition to reduction in systolic blood pressure.

Progressive relaxation and qigong exercise both appeared to improve the quality of life for cardiac patients with reference to certain physiologic and psychologic measures. The result was supported by previous studies and literature reviews on qigong in terms of its effect on the psychologic dimension.