Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not Yet Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07522593

Baduanjin Exercise on Upper Limb Dysfunction Among Breast Cancer Survivors

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if Baduanjin exercise could be adopted by breast cancer survivors and improve their upper limb dysfunction. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does Baduanjin exercise improve upper limb dysfunction among breast cancer survivors? * What problems or adverse events do participants have if they adopt Baduanjin exercise to improve upper limb dysfunction?

Participants will:

* Adopt Baduanjin exercise following an evidence-based intervention protocol * Report their exercise frequency, length, and unexpected symptoms * Receive three times assessment and follow-up every week

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

Breast Cancer Survivor

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of Baduanjin exercise on upper limb dysfunction (ULD), shoulder range of motion (ROM), pain, sleep quality, depression and anxiety, and quality of life (QoL) in breast cancer survivors. The objectives of this study are to:

  • Develop an evidence-based Badunajin exercise intervention protocol for managing ULD among breast cancer survivors ;
  • Design and conduct a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) using the Buduanjin exercise intervention protocol to manage the ULD;
  • Test the feasibility and acceptability of the Baduanjin exercise intervention and RCT procedures by the recruitment rate, retention rate, and attrition rate during the pilot RCT;
  • Evaluate the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of the Baduanjin exercise intervention by identifying potential adverse effects associated with the Baduanjin exercise intervention;
  • Examine the potential effects of Baduanjin exercise intervention on ULD, shoulder ROM, pain, sleep quality, depression and anxiety, as well as QoL among breast cancer survivors;
  • Explore the participants' experience and suggestions for the Baduanjin exercise intervention and study procedures; and
  • Provide evidence for refinement of the Baduanjin exercise intervention for a multi-center, full-scale RCT among breast cancer survivors.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Female, aged ≥ 18 years, diagnosed with non-metastatic unilateral Stage I-IIIa non-metastatic breast cancer, regardless of cancer type;
  • Surgeries completed at least two months before enrolment, and completion of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, with or without aromatase inhibitor therapy, upon enrolment;
  • Experiencing breast cancer treatment-related ULD, which is measured by the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scale with a score of 20 or above;
  • Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS), used to measure a patient's ability to perform daily activities and self-care independently, with a score of 90 or above;
  • Ability to read, write, and communicate in Chinese;
  • Have a personal cellphone;
  • Agree to participate in this study and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

  • Any patient with a history of upper limb surgery, injury (fracture or shoulder dislocation), or other conditions not related to breast cancer treatments;
  • With other complications or adverse medical conditions that cannot perform BdjE, such as severe lymphedema, axillary web syndrome, or adhesive capsulitis;
  • Undergoing any physiotherapy for ULD or leading regular physical exercises in the previous three months;
  • Had skin grafting and autologous myocutaneous flap breast reconstruction;
  • Current clinical diagnosis of depression or anxiety, or receipt of active psychological treatment for significant mood or anxiety disorders;
  • Currently involved in other clinical studies.

Treatment and study plan

Baduanjin exercise

Behavioral

Baduanjin exercise is a low-to-moderate-intensity aerobic mind-body exercise that integrates movement (physical postures), meditation (focused attention), and controlled breathing. When practicing it, people stand in a position and perform eight movements, including 1) Two Hands Hold up the Heavens; 2) drawing the bow to shoot the eagle; 3)separate heaven and earth, 4)wise owl gazes backward or looking back, 5)sway the head and shake the tail, 6)two hands hold the keen to strengthen the kidneys and waist, 7) clench the fists and glare fiercely; 8) bouncing on the toes seven times.

Primary outcomes

  1. Upper Limb Dysfunction

    Time frame: At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

    The Disability of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) (Chinese version) will assess upper limb dysfunction. The DASH has 30 items, and 5-Likert scale was used to demonstrate the disability of the upper limb (1=not at all, 2= slightly, 3= moderately, 4= quite a bit, 5= extremely), and DASH symptom score = [(sum of n response)/n-1] *25 (n is the number of completed responses)(Hudak et al., 1996). A higher score indicates a greater disability. At least 27 items must be completed for each questionnaire, or it will not be able to calculate a score.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Shoulder Range of Motion (ROM)

    Time frame: At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

    The shoulder ROM includes flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and internal and external rotation. A digital goniometer is a precision instrument commonly used to measure shoulder ROM in clinical settings. each movement will be measured and recorded once per assessment to minimize fatigue and prevent artificially increased ROM due to repeated measurements

  2. Pain

    Time frame: At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

    The brief pain inventory (BPI) will be employed to measure pain among BCSs, which is a self-administered measure that can rapidly assess the intensity of pain and the impact of pain on daily function.

  3. Sleep Quality

    Time frame: At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

    The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (Chinese version) was adopted to evaluate sleep quality in the project. It was developed in 1989, with 19 items in seven components: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction (Buysse et al., 1989). Each component score ranges from 0 (no difficulty) to 3 (severe difficulty), and the global score ranges from 0 to 21 points; a higher score indicates a worse sleep quality (Buysse et al., 1989).

  4. Depression and Anxiety

    Time frame: At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

    The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was selected to assess the participants' depression and anxiety. HADS was developed in 1983 with 14 items, 7 items measuring cognitive and emotional aspects of depression, intermingled with 7 items that focus on cognitive and emotional aspects of anxiety(Zigmond & Snaith, 1983). Each item is scored from 0 to 3, resulting in a total subscale score ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater levels of depression or anxiety(Zigmond & Snaith, 1983)

  5. Quality of Life(QoL)

    Time frame: At enrollment, at the end of the intervention, and eight weeks after the intervention completion

    FACT-B+4 will be used to assess the QoL among breast cancer survivors with upper limb dysfunction. FACT-B has 37 items, including 7 items for physical well-being, 7 items for social/family well-being, 6 items for emotional well-being, 7 items for functional well-being, and 10 additional items specific to breast cancer concerns(Brady et al., 1997). The FACT-B+4 is an extended version of the original one, and the "+4" refers to four additional items specifically designed to assess arm morbidity in BCSs(Coster et al., 2001). Each item of the FACT-B+4 is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much), and the total score range is 0-168 (Some items are reverse scored). A higher score indicates a better QoL.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Jinqiu LI

CONTACT

[email protected]

610430499054

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Southern Queensland

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Feasibility and Preliminary Evaluation of an Evidence-based Baduanjin Exercise Program for Upper Limb Dysfunction in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Apr 13, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.