Qigong and fatigue: research overview

Not medical advice. This page lists research about qigong and fatigue. It does not say whether qigong works for any person or condition. Talk to a qualified health professional before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have a medical condition.

Studies in PubMed

47 (tagged with “Fatigue” as a major topic)

Years

2005–2026

Registered trials

11 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Types of studies

Each study is counted once, under its strongest type in this order: meta-analysis, systematic review, randomized controlled trial, clinical trial, review, observational study.

Studies, newest first

1. "Walk for Life": A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial of Guolin Qigong for Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance and Depression Symptom Cluster in Cancer Survivors. — Integrative cancer therapies, 2026 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
2. Biological correlates of cancer-related fatigue in older male cancer survivors. — Translational psychiatry, 2026 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
3. Comparative efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine-based non-pharmacological therapies for managing cancer-related fatigue in lung cancer patients: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026 · DOISystematic Review
4. Effects of Sitting Baduanjin on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Advanced Cancer: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. — JMIR research protocols, 2026 · DOI
5. Effects of different mind-body exercises on quality of life and cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2026 · DOISystematic Review
6. Exercise and mind-body interventions for cancer-related fatigue: A network meta-analysis with exploratory moderator analyses. — Complementary therapies in medicine, 2026 · DOIReview
7. Exercise interventions for health-related quality of life, fatigue, depression, and anxiety in colorectal cancer survivors: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, 2026 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
8. Mechanisms of simplified sitting Badunjin effects on symptom burden: a network-based cross-lagged analysis in advanced cancer patients. — Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
9. Meta-Analysis of the Use of Chinese Martial Arts Training for Alleviating Cancer-Related Fatigue in Cancer Survivors. — Cancer medicine, 2026 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
10. Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Sleep, Fatigue, and Pain in Distressed People After Cancer Treatment: A Partially Randomized Patient-Preference Comparative Effectiveness Trial. — Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2026 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
11. Telemedical acupressure and Qigong for post-COVID fatigue: A qualitative study. — Complementary therapies in medicine, 2026 · DOI
12. Clinical updates in cancer-related fatigue in palliative care settings-a scoping review. — Annals of palliative medicine, 2025 · DOI
13. Comparative Efficacy of Various Exercise Types on Cancer-Related Fatigue for Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. — Cancer medicine, 2025 · DOISystematic Review
14. Project HERO: a randomized trial of Tai Chi qigong versus intensity-matched exercise and usual care for fatigue in older male cancer survivors. — BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2025 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
15. Randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of a Baduanjin exercise plus nutrition programme on cancer-related fatigue in elderly lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. — Experimental gerontology, 2025 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
16. Randomized controlled trial testing Tai Chi Easy/Qigong and Sham Qigong on breast cancer survivors' fatigue and associated symptoms. — Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 2025 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
17. Effects of Baduanjin exercise on cancer-related fatigue in patients with prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy in Shanghai, China: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. — BMJ open, 2024 · DOI
18. Effects of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts and Stretching Exercises on Symptoms of Fibromyalgia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Perceptual and motor skills, 2024 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
19. Exploring Guolin Qigong (Mind-Body Exercise) for Improving Cancer Related Fatigue in Cancer Survivors: A Mixed Method Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol. — Integrative cancer therapies, 2024 · DOI
20. Impact of Baduanjin Qigong Exercise on Fatigue in Patients with Lung Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial. — Journal of palliative medicine, 2024 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
21. Lifestyle and integrative oncology interventions for cancer-related fatigue and sleep disturbances. — Maturitas, 2024 · DOIReview
22. Management of Fatigue in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO-Society for Integrative Oncology Guideline Update. — Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2024 · DOISystematic Review
23. Simple Sitting Baduanjin mind-body exercise: randomized controlled trial protocol for advanced cancer patients with the fatigue-sleep disturbance symptom cluster. — BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2024 · DOI
24. [Complementary and integrative medicine in cancer-related fatigue]. — Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2024 · DOIReview
25. [Effects of Qigong on Cancer-Related Fatigue, Sleep Disturbance, Cognitive Impairment, and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis]. — Hu li za zhi The journal of nursing, 2024 · DOISystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
26. Efficacy of Baduanjin for treatment of fatigue: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. — Medicine, 2023 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
27. Effects of traditional Chinese medicine exercise therapy on cancer-related fatigue, anxiety and sleep quality in cancer patients: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis. — Medicine, 2021 · DOI
28. The benefits of Qigong exercise for symptoms of fatigue: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. — Medicine, 2021 · DOI
29. Effects of Qigong, Tai Chi, acupuncture, and Tuina on cancer-related fatigue for breast cancer patients: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis. — Medicine, 2020 · DOI
30. A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis to Explore the Effectiveness of Exercise-Based Interventions in Improving Fatigue, Dyspnea, and Depression in Lung Cancer Survivors. — Cancer nursing, 2019 · DOISystematic Review
31. Effect of Baduanjin Qigong Exercise on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients with Colorectal Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. — Oncology research and treatment, 2019 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
32. Integrative Therapies for Cancer-Related Fatigue. — Cancer journal (Sudbury, Mass.), 2019 · DOISystematic Review
33. Nonpharmacological Interventions for Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis. — Worldviews on evidence-based nursing, 2019 · DOISystematic Review
34. The effects of Baduanjin exercise on fatigue and quality of life in patients with heart failure: A randomized controlled trial. — European journal of cardiovascular nursing, 2018 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
35. Qigong/tai chi for sleep and fatigue in prostate cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: a randomized controlled trial. — Psycho-oncology, 2017 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
36. A randomized controlled trial of qigong on fatigue and sleep quality for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients undergoing chemotherapy. — European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society, 2016 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
37. Qigong in cancer care: a systematic review and construct analysis of effective Qigong therapy. — Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2016 · DOISystematic Review
38. Qigong/Tai Chi Easy for fatigue in breast cancer survivors: Rationale and design of a randomized clinical trial. — Contemporary clinical trials, 2016 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
39. Advancing the science of mind-body interventions: a comment on Larkey et al. — Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 2015 · DOI
40. Intervention Effect of Baduanjin Exercise on the Fatigue State in People with Fatigue-Predominant Subhealth: A Cohort Study. — Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2015 · DOI

7 more studies on PubMed

Registered clinical trials

Government health information

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health summarizes the evidence on qigong.

Study list: PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), citation data only. Trials: ClinicalTrials.gov. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: PubMed (NLM citation data, free to use (abstracts not reproduced)); ClinicalTrials.gov (Public domain (U.S. Government work)); NCCIH (Public domain (U.S. Government work)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.