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

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). 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 <i>via</i> online video conferencing software. The primary outcome was the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Revised (FIQR). Secondary outcomes included the pressure pain threshold (PPT) <i>via</i> 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. A total of 41 patients completed the study. Both the F2F-BBAT (<i>n</i> = 14) and I-BBAT (<i>n</i> = 13) groups showed significant improvements in all outcome measures (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) with no significant difference between them (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). Conversely, the CG (<i>n</i> = 14) demonstrated no substantial improvements in the outcome measures (<i>p</i> &gt; 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 (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). This study showed that BBAT delivered <i>via</i> internet-based telerehabilitation can have comparable effective results on clinical parameters with conventional face-to face BBAT in patients with FM. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04981132. Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT), a physiotherapy approach gaining increasing recognition for managing fibromyalgia (FM), offers enhanced accessibility to treatment through internet-based telerehabilitation.The clinical parameters observed with BBAT delivered via internet-based telerehabilitation at 8 weeks were comparable to those of conventional face-to-face BBAT in patients with FMInternet-based Basic Body Awareness Therapy (I-BBAT) may be preferred as an alternative treatment method for patients with fibromyalgia, rather than face to face.Furthermore, I-BBAT emerges as a beneficial option for public health, as it provides an easy and low-cost system for patients to access therapy through physiotherapists, thereby also facilitating physiotherapists’ ability to reach and support their patients effectively. Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT), a physiotherapy approach gaining increasing recognition for managing fibromyalgia (FM), offers enhanced accessibility to treatment through internet-based telerehabilitation. The clinical parameters observed with BBAT delivered via internet-based telerehabilitation at 8 weeks were comparable to those of conventional face-to-face BBAT in patients with FM Internet-based Basic Body Awareness Therapy (I-BBAT) may be preferred as an alternative treatment method for patients with fibromyalgia, rather than face to face. Furthermore, I-BBAT emerges as a beneficial option for public health, as it provides an easy and low-cost system for patients to access therapy through physiotherapists, thereby also facilitating physiotherapists’ ability to reach and support their patients effectively.