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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

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Abstract

Background

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.

Aims

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.

Method

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 (10 MWT), and the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT).

Results

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), 10 MWT (p = 0.047; 95 % CI 0.108–2.306), and 6 MWT (p = 0.003; 95 % CI 20.302–42.097) compared to the TT group.

Conclusions

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.

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Acknowledgments

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Therapy, Oriental Hospital, Wonkwang University, Sinyong-dong, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do, 54649, Republic of Korea

    Dae-Hyouk Bang

  2. Department of Physical Therapy, Collage of Natural Science, Daejeon University, 62, Daehak-ro, Dong-gu, Daejeon, 300-716, Republic of Korea

    Won-Seob Shin

Authors
  1. Dae-Hyouk Bang
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  2. Won-Seob Shin
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Correspondence to Won-Seob Shin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Bang, DH., Shin, WS. 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. Aging Clin Exp Res 29, 993–999 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0648-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0648-9

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