Comparing face-to-face and internet-based basic body awareness therapy for fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate and compare the effecs of face-to-face and internet-based Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT), in patients with fibromyalgia (FM).

Materials and methods: FM-diagnosed patients were randomly allocated to one of three groups: face-to-face BBAT (F2F-BBAT), internet-based BBAT (I-BBAT), or a waiting list control group (CG). The F2F-BBAT group underwent individual 8-week BBAT sessions (2 sessions per week). The I-BBAT group received an equivalent dosage of BBAT via online video conferencing software. The primary outcome was the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Revised (FIQR). Secondary outcomes included the pressure pain threshold (PPT) via algometer, the PostureScreen Mobile^® (PSM) application, the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), and plasma fibrinogen and haptoglobin levels.

Results: A total of 41 patients completed the study. Both the F2F-BBAT (n = 14) and I-BBAT (n = 13) groups showed significant improvements in all outcome measures (p < 0.05) with no significant difference between them (p > 0.05). Conversely, the CG (n = 14) demonstrated no substantial improvements in the outcome measures (p > 0.05). Compared to the CG, both the F2F-BBAT and I-BBAT groups exhibited superior results in FIQR, PPT, PSM, SF-MPQ, and multiple SF-36 sub-parameters (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: This study showed that BBAT delivered via internet-based telerehabilitation can have comparable effective results on clinical parameters with conventional face-to face BBAT in patients with FM.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04981132.