Effects of an intensive Nordic walking intervention on the balance function and walking ability of individuals with Parkinson's disease: a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with impairment in balance and postural control, accompanied by a progressive reduction in the speed and amplitude of movement. The aim of our study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Nordic walking on a treadmill on the balance function and walking ability of individuals with PD. Twenty participants with stage 1-3 PD in the Hoehn and Yahr scale were randomly allocated to the Nordic walking training (NWT) group and treadmill training (TT) group, with ten participants per group. Measured outcomes included: the motor subscale of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-M), the Berg balance scale (BBS), the Timed Up-and-go test (TUG), the 10-meter walk test (10MWT), and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Improvement on all outcome measures was identified from pre-to-post intervention for both groups (p<0.05). Post-intervention, there was a significant between-group difference on measured outcomes (p<0.05). The NWT group exhibited greater improvement in the UPDRS-M (p=0.006; 95%CI 0.825-4.374), BBS (p=0.002; 95%CI 1.307-5.092), TUG (p=0.048; 95%CI 0.028-2.582), 10MWT (p=0.047; 95%CI 0.108-2.306), and 6MWT (p=0.003; 95%CI 20.302-42.097) compared to the TT group. Our outcomes provide evidence of the therapeutic benefit of Nordic walking on a treadmill to improve balance function and walking ability in individuals with PD.