A 6-week seated modified Liuzijue breathing program was feasible and well tolerated in one patient with respiratory impairment in the stroke recovery phase, with pre-post increases in TV, VC, and FVC and improved SGRQ and SF-36 scores, but the changes cannot be attributed specifically to Liuzijue because this was an uncontrolled single case with concurrent conventional rehabilitation.
The traditional standing Liuzijue protocol was adapted to a seated format for a post-stroke patient with motor dysfunction and balance limitations.
The seated modified Liuzijue protocol was feasible to implement and well tolerated over 6 weeks in this individual patient.
Pulmonary function parameters increased from baseline after the 6-week intervention.
Respiratory-related and general health-related quality of life scores changed in a direction suggesting improvement after the intervention.
The observed pre-post changes cannot be attributed specifically to seated modified Liuzijue because of the study design.
The findings are considered preliminary evidence of procedural feasibility that needs confirmation in controlled studies.
This case report describes one patient recovering from a stroke who had breathing problems. The patient did a 6-week program of Liuzijue, a traditional Chinese breathing exercise, adapted so it could be done while seated, with simpler arm movements and a breathing rhythm tailored to the patient. The patient did this along with regular rehabilitation. After 6 weeks, the patient's tidal volume, vital capacity, and forced vital capacity were higher than at the start. Questionnaires about breathing-related and overall quality of life also pointed toward improvement. The patient completed the program, tolerated it well, and had no clinically relevant adverse events related to the training. Because this was a single patient with no comparison group, and because the patient was also receiving standard rehabilitation during a period when people naturally improve after stroke, the improvements cannot be credited to the breathing exercise itself. This research suggests that a seated version of Liuzijue can be carried out safely in someone with limited movement and balance, but larger controlled studies are needed to learn whether it actually improves breathing.
Liu Y, Zhang X, Lin Z, Xu Y, Liu M, Qi L, et al.. (2026). Seated Modified Liuzijue Training for Rehabilitation of a Patient with Respiratory Impairment During the Recovery Phase of Stroke: A Case Report.. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE. https://doi.org/10.3791/73917