Efficacy of a Novel Home-Based Stretching Program on Fibromyalgia Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Morten Pallisgaard Støve1, Stig Peter Magnusson2, Janus Laust Thomsen3
1Department of Physiotherapy, University College of Northern Denmark (UCN), Aalborg East; Centre for General Practice, Aalborg University, Gistrup.
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.
