{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T04:31:02Z","timestamp":1786336262803,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786320000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Post-COVID Syndrome (PCS) is characterized by a variety of symptoms including fatigue and impaired physical function. The aim of the ACUQiG-study was to investigate the therapeutic effects and safety of a self-care program combining acupressure and Qigong on physical function in PCS patients with post-infectious fatigue.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n In this two-arm, open-label randomized controlled study, patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and persisting fatigue and \u22653 other typical PCS symptoms &gt;12\u202fweeks were enrolled. Patients were randomized to an intervention group receiving an 8-week daily self-applied acupressure regimen performed at home plus twice-weekly online Qigong sessions, or to a control group receiving no study intervention in the first 16\u202fweeks. Both groups received written self-care advice on complementary medicine treatments and continued routine care. The primary outcome was physical function at 8\u202fweeks measured via the SF-36 Physical Functioning Subscale (SF-36 PFS). Secondary outcomes included fatigue measured by the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS), responder analysis, and safety outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n A total of 235 participants (85.1% women; mean age 42.1\u202fyears) were randomized (\n n<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f118 intervention,\n n<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f117 controls). At week 8, the adjusted between-group difference in SF-36 PFS was 4.2 points (95% CI \u22120.9 to 9.4;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.109) with a mean of 55.4 (51.8\u201359.1) in the intervention group vs. 51.2 (47.6\u201354.9) in the control group. Responder analysis (\u226510-point improvement) suggested a favorable trend for the intervention group (58.9% vs. 46.3%; odds ratio 1.69 (95% CI, 0.98 to 2.92,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.058). The intervention group showed slightly greater improvements in Chalder Fatigue Scale scores [mean at week 8, 21.4 (95% CI 20.2\u201322.6) vs. 23.2 (95% CI 22.0\u201324.3),\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.040] compared to the control group. Overall, the self-applied study intervention was safe, but aggravation of preexisting symptoms occurred.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n Both groups improved over time; the addition of acupressure and Qigong to a self-care advice leaflet did not provide a statistically significant or clinically relevant improvement in physical function compared to the leaflet alone. Further high-quality clinical trials are needed to investigate the effects of multimodal self-care programs for managing PCS-related fatigue and physical function.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Clinical trial registration<\/jats:title>\n \n Clinicaltrials.gov<\/jats:ext-link>\n identifier: NCT05289154,\n https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/ct2\/show\/NCT05289154<\/jats:ext-link>\n . First registered 21.03.2022.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1872035","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T04:22:47Z","timestamp":1786335767000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Acupressure and Qigong in post-infectious fatigue with impaired physical function: a randomized clinical trial"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Joanna","family":"Dietzel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Theresa","family":"Bauer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin 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Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julia","family":"Siewert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Judith","family":"Bellmann-Strobl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Immunology","place":["Berlin, Germany"]},{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, in cooperation with Max Delbr\u00fcck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Experimental and Clinical Research Center","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ute","family":"Engelhardt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"International Society for Chinese Medicine (SMS), Munich","place":["Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephanie","family":"Roll","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics","place":["Berlin, Germany"]},{"name":"Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Institute for Biostatistics and Informatics in Medicine and Ageing Research","place":["Rostock, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weronika","family":"Grabowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carmen","family":"Scheibenbogen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Immunology","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stefan N.","family":"Willich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Friedemann","family":"Paul","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, in cooperation with Max Delbr\u00fcck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Experimental and Clinical Research Center","place":["Berlin, Germany"]},{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center","place":["Berlin, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benno","family":"Brinkhaus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universit\u00e4t Berlin and Humboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin, Institute of Social Medicine, 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