Online Pilates improved pain more than printed exercise instructions in a fibromyalgia trial
A small randomized trial compared delivery of the same exercises, with greater improvements in pain and disease activity in the online group.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Both groups reported less pain and lower disease activity after the program, with greater improvements in the online group. Fatigue, anxiety and central sensitization also favored online delivery in analyses of change over time. The trial compared delivery methods; it does not establish benefits over receiving no exercise program.
The trial was small and included only women. The abstract reports significance tests without the sizes of the pain or disease-activity differences, making their practical importance difficult to judge.
What researchers found
Pain and disease activity
Online versus printed instructions after 8 weeks; both groups improved, with statistically significant between-group differences (p < 0.05). Difference sizes were not reported.
A comparison of delivery methods
Participants in both groups received a clinical Pilates program focused on stability and strength. Because the comparison group also received exercises, the trial mainly tested whether online delivery offered additional benefits over printed instructions.
Change does not always mean improvement
The abstract reports changes over time across several outcomes, including depression, without giving the direction for each. A time effect alone does not show improvement or prove that online delivery outperformed printed instructions for that outcome.
The original publication
The efficacy of a telerehabilitation-based clinical Pilates program on lumbopelvic muscle morphology and strength in female patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.
Sari F, Mirza Y, Yılmaz PD et al.
Clin Rheumatol · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41053520
- Record checked
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