Six-month supervised telerehabilitation combining pilates-based therapeutic exercise and self-myofascial release in adults with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial.

In 30 seconds

This two-arm randomized controlled trial evaluated a six-month supervised home-based telerehabilitation programme in 68 adults with fibromyalgia confirmed by 2016 ACR criteria. The programme combined Pilates-based exercise, self-myofascial release and other exercise components, delivered in three live online sessions weekly, and was compared with usual care. Significant group-by-time interactions favoured the programme for fibromyalgia impact (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.132), sleep quality (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.129), depressive symptoms and perceived stress; anxiety did not differ significantly over time.

Key findings

• Fibromyalgia impact showed a significant group-by-time interaction (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.132).
• Sleep quality improved differentially over time between groups (p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.129).
• Group-by-time interactions were significant for depressive symptoms (p = 0.002, partial η2 = 0.129) and perceived stress (p = 0.028, partial η2 = 0.065), but not anxiety (p = 0.701).
• Mean intervention adherence was 87.5%; no adverse or serious adverse events were reported in either group.

Why it matters

The findings suggest that supervised multicomponent exercise delivered remotely may improve several patient-reported dimensions of fibromyalgia, including impact, sleep and psychological outcomes, compared with usual care. The absence of reported adverse events and high mean adherence support the feasibility of this delivery approach in the studied group, while the lack of an anxiety effect indicates that benefits were not uniform across outcomes.

What to keep in mind

The trial included 68 adults and assessed patient-reported outcomes over six months; the abstract does not report longer-term follow-up or objective outcome measures.