Academic Journal
Efficacy of a Novel Home-Based Stretching Program on Fibromyalgia Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
| Τίτλος: | Efficacy of a Novel Home-Based Stretching Program on Fibromyalgia Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Støve MP; Department of Physiotherapy, University College of Northern Denmark (UCN), Aalborg East; Centre for General Practice, Aalborg University, Gistrup. Electronic address: mps@ucn.dk., Magnusson SP; Department of Occupational and Physical Therapy, Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen; Centre of Healthy Ageing, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark., Thomsen JL; Centre for General Practice, Aalborg University, Gistrup., Riis A; Department of Physiotherapy, University College of Northern Denmark (UCN), Aalborg East; Centre for General Practice, Aalborg University, Gistrup. |
| Πηγή: | Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation [Arch Phys Med Rehabil] 2026 Oct; Vol. 107 (10), pp. 2842-2850. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 03. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: W.B. Saunders Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 2985158R Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1532-821X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00039993 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Philadelphia, PA : W.B. Saunders |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Fibromyalgia*/rehabilitation , Fibromyalgia*/therapy , Muscle Stretching Exercises* , Home Care Services*, Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Patient Compliance ; Surveys and Questionnaires |
| Περίληψη: | Objectives: Nonpharmacological treatments are recommended for fibromyalgia but are often limited by poor adherence. This study assessed the clinical efficacy of a novel 6-week home-based, low-intensity stretching intervention compared with usual care in patients with fibromyalgia, with the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-R) total score as the primary outcome. Design: Parallel, waitlist-controlled randomized trial. Setting: Participants were recruited from the general community. Participants: A total of 58 adults with fibromyalgia were enrolled. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned (1:1), stratified by sex, to 6 weeks of daily low-intensity home-based stretching exercises (6 min/d) or to usual care. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was the change in the FIQ-R total score from baseline to follow-up, analyzed under the intention-to-treat principle. Results: Between October 24, 2024, and May 22, 2025, 89 patients were screened, and 58 were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=29) or the control group (n=29). The average self-reported adherence rate to the intervention was 83%. There was a significant group-by-time interaction for FIQ-R total score (F[1,56]=11.30; P<.001; partial η²=0.17), indicating greater improvement in the intervention group. From baseline to follow-up, mean FIQ-R total score decreased by 9.7 points (95% confidence interval [CI], -15.0 to -4.4; P<.001), corresponding to an 18.7% improvement in the intervention group, compared with a nonsignificant change of 0.8 points (-2.7 to 4.2; P=.66) in the control group. Conclusions: Low-intensity, high-frequency home-based stretching produced significant, clinically meaningful improvements in the FIQ-R total score compared with usual care, suggesting its potential as a feasible, well-tolerated nonpharmacological treatment option. Future research should confirm these findings in longer-term, sex-balanced trials. (Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Fibromyalgia; Muscle stretching exercises; Patient compliance; Physical therapy modalities; Randomized controlled trial; Rehabilitation |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260604 Date Completed: 20261003 Latest Revision: 20261005 |
| Update Code: | 20261005 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.apmr.2026.05.016 |
| PMID: | 42242521 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1532-821X |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.apmr.2026.05.016 |