Trial reportScientific reports2020
Effects of exergames on heart rate variability of women with fibromyalgia: A randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Beyond the Pain: Rethinking Chronic Pain Management Through Integrated Therapeutic Approaches-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Exercise and Heart Rate Variability in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the impact of exercise interventions on heart rate variability in hemodialysis patients.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of exergaming versus endurance training on cardiorespiratory fitness and hemodynamic parameters: a randomized controlled trial.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Trial
- Effects of Exergame Training on Executive Function and Heart Rate Variability in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Study.European journal of sport science · 2025Trial
- Analysis of the Muscular Activity, Peak Torque in the Lower Limbs, and Static Balance after Virtual Rehabilitation in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Study.Games for health journal · 2021Trial
- Effects of a Strength and Creative Dance Intervention on Brain Electrical Activity, Heart Rate Variability, and Dual-Task Performance in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effect of different types of exercise in fibromyalgia syndrome: a network meta-analysis.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Physical Activity in Long COVID: A Comparative Study of Exercise Rehabilitation Benefits in Patients with Long COVID, Coronary Artery Disease and Fibromyalgia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Gamification in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2022Review
- A comparative study of heart rate variability and physical fitness in women with moderate and severe fibromyalgia.Journal of exercise rehabilitation · 2022Article
- Editorial: Physical Activity: An Optimizer of the Neurophysiological System?Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Effects of 24-Week Exergame Intervention on the Gray Matter Volume of Different Brain Structures in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Single-Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Article
- Assistive HCI-Serious Games Co-design Insights: The Case Study of i-PROGNOSIS Personalized Game Suite for Parkinson's Disease.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
- Heart Rate Variability Mainly Relates to Cognitive Executive Functions and Improves Through Exergame Training in Older Adults: A Secondary Analysis of a 6-Month Randomized Controlled Trial.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2020Article
- An immersive virtual reality exergame as a patient education approach in fibromyalgia: Pilot study.Digital healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The objective of the present manuscript was to evaluate the effects of 24-weeks exergame intervention on the heart rate variability (HRV) of women with fibromyalgia. First, 56 women with fibromyalgia were assessed for eligibility. A total of 55 women fulfilled the inclusion criteria and participated in this single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. A 24-weeks of exergames were completed by the exercise group in the university facilities. It was focused on the mobility, postural control, upper and lower limbs coordination, aerobic fitness and strength. A total of 120 min per week, divided into two sessions of 60 min, was completed. A short-term 5 min record at rest was used to assess the HRV. Time (SDNN and RMSSD) and non-linear indexes (Higuchi´s Fractal Dimension, SD1, SD2, ln stress score, and SD1/SD2) of HRV were extracted. Fifty participants (achieving an 89.28% of adherence), recruited from the local fibromyalgia association completed the study. They were randomly divided into an exercise (age = 54.04[8.45]) and a control group (52.72[9.98]). Significant interaction (group*time) effects in SDNN, ln stress score, SD2, and SD1/SD2 ratio were found. The EG showed an increase of SDNN and a decreased ln stress score and SD2. The CG showed an increased ln stress score, SD1/SD2. In conclusion, 24-weeks of exergame intervention based on the tool VirtualEx-FM improved the autonomic control in patients with fibromyalgia. However, significant effects on Higuchi´s fractal dimension were not found. This is the first study using exergame as a therapy in women with fibromyalgia which has led to an improvement the autonomic balance in these patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.