Pilates at Home, Live Online: Six-Month Trial Results

Pilates at Home, Live Online: Six-Month Trial Results

Exercise is one of the best-supported treatments for fibromyalgia, but getting to a class is not always possible. A Greek trial tested whether live online Pilates sessions at home help. After six months, the online group reported a clearly lower impact of fibromyalgia on daily life than the group with usual care. The study appeared in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine on October 13, 2026.

The Study

Researchers at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki ran a randomised controlled trial with 68 adults with fibromyalgia (97% women, most aged 41 to 60). All were inactive at the start and had used the same medication for at least a month.

• 35 people followed the online programme for six months.
• 33 people continued their usual care.

The Programme

Three times a week, participants joined a live online class led by an instructor. Each session lasted about an hour:

• About 10 minutes of breathing exercises, gentle mobility and core activation
• About 10 minutes of self-massage with a foam roller or tennis ball (self-myofascial release), focused on the back and hips
• 25 to 30 minutes of mat Pilates, core stability and light strength exercises
• 5 to 10 minutes of stretching and relaxation

The programme became harder step by step, based on how people felt, not on a fixed schedule. Participants could report pain or fatigue at any time, and the instructor then adjusted the exercise or allowed rest.

The Results

• Impact of fibromyalgia: after six months, the online group scored on average 11.8 points lower on the FIQR questionnaire (scale 0 to 100) than the usual-care group. The researchers had set 8.1 points in advance as the smallest difference that matters to patients.
• Depressive symptoms: clearly lower in the online group.
• Stress and sleep: improved more over time in the online group. At the separate measurement points, the difference with the usual-care group was not statistically significant.
• Anxiety: no difference.

Participants attended 87.5% of the sessions on average. Nobody reported side effects or injuries.

Limits of the Study

• The group was small and almost entirely female.
• Participants knew which group they were in, and all outcomes were questionnaires. That can make results look better.
• 13 of the 35 people in the online group did not complete the mood questionnaire at six months. The results for depression and stress are therefore less certain.
• The study stopped after six months. It does not show whether the effect lasts after the programme ends.
• Pain was not measured as a separate outcome.

What This Means for You

This study supports what guidelines already say: regular, gentle exercise helps, and you can do it at home. What seems to matter is supervision and a pace that follows your body. If you want to try online Pilates, look for a class with a physiotherapist or instructor who knows fibromyalgia and lets you adjust the exercises. Start small and build up slowly.