Background As a form of exercise, Traditional Chinese Exercises (TCEs) have shown unique advantages in the stroke population. TCEs have been indicated by existing research to potentially improve limb function and activities of daily living (ADL) in stroke survivors. Still, a unified analysis of these results has been lacking. This systematic review seeks to assess the therapeutic impact of six specific types of TCEs— Daoyin, Tai Chi, Yijinjing, Baduanjin, Liuzijue, and Wuqinxi—on limb motor function, balance function, physical function, muscle tone and and ADL in stroke patients.

Methods Adhering to the PRISMA Guidelines (CRD42024605971) and the P.I.C.O.S. Standard, RCT studies were extracted from eight databases, comprising four Chinese and four English ones. Risk of bias and quality of evidence were assessed using RoB2 and GRADE tools. The quality of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was evaluated, and a meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4.

Results There were 28 RCTs analyzed by this systematic review. The meta-analysis indicated that TCEs yielded significant therapeutic benefits in improving motor function (SMD = 1.05, 95% CI: [0.70 to 1.40], P < 0.001), balance function (SMD = 0.81, 95% CI: [0.43 to 1.18], P < 0.001), muscle tone (MD = -0.46, 95% CI: [-0.69 to -0.24], P < 0.001), and ADL (MD = 5.53, 95% CI: [4.37 to 6.69], P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that Taiji, Baduanjin and Yijinjing had significant rehabilitation effects in these aspects during 2-12 weeks of treatment (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions TCEs improved stroke patients’ limb motor and balance function. They also reduced muscle tension, enhanced daily activity ability, and demonstrated high safety. Tai Chi, Yijinjing, and Baduanjin showed unique advantages of rehabilitation treatment in these aspects. More high-quality, multicenter RCTs are needed to further confirm these results.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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