Investigation of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Yoga Training in Individuals with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

An 8-week mindfulness-based yoga program delivered via telerehabilitation led to greater improvements in fatigue, anxiety, symptoms associated with central sensitization, biopsychosocial status, symptom severity, pain catastrophising, and cognitive dimensions of pain compared to an active control group (walking and physiotherapy) in 64 women with fibromyalgia. Both groups received patient education. No significant between-group differences were found for other outcomes such as sleep quality or mindfulness level, though the yoga group showed intra-group improvements. The authors conclude that telerehabilitation-delivered mindfulness-based yoga is a viable complementary approach for reducing fibromyalgia symptom burden.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterised by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and psychological symptoms. Mindfulness-based approaches are increasingly used as complementary interventions for symptom management. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based yoga (MBY) delivered via telerehabilitation in individuals with fibromyalgia. Methods: This trial included 64 women with fibromyalgia who were randomly assigned to an 8-week mindfulness-based yoga program delivered via telerehabilitation or active control group including walking and physiotherapy modalities. Both groups received patient education at the outset. Assessments were conducted before and after the intervention. Outcome measures included fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, symptoms associated with central sensitization, kinesiophobia, pain intensity, mindfulness level, impact of fibromyalgia on life, biopsychosocial status, and pain catastrophising. Data were analyzed using mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA), with additional t-tests and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) conducted for post hoc analyses. Results: Compared to the control group, the mindfulness-based yoga (MBY) group showed more pronounced improvements in terms of fatigue, anxiety, symptoms associated with central sensitization, biopsychosocial status, symptom severity, catastrophising about pain, ruminative thoughts about pain, and cognitive dimensions of pain. Although no significant differences were found between groups for other variables, intra-group improvements were observed in the MBY group. Conclusions: It was concluded that the MBY intervention administered via telerehabilitation is a viable complementary approach to traditional treatments in reducing the symptom burden of fibromyalgia. It was thought that the effectiveness of the research could be increased by conducting studies involving long-term follow-up assessments and investigating the integration of different mindfulness-based telerehabilitation interventions into the clinical setting.