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 ?²=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.
| Discipline Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Rehab Clinician (OT/PT) |  |
Rehab Clinician (OT/PT) rater
The absence of an active control group limits the attribution of the observed improvements specifically to stretching. Participants were allowed to continue their usual physical activities, while the intervention group additionally received app-based support and regular investigator contact. Therefore, treatment expectations, attention, or concurrent exercise may have contributed to the results and should be interpreted cautiously.
, McMaster University