Nordic walking in the second half of life.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to review the effectiveness and safety of Nordic walking (NW) in therapeutic rehabilitation for elderly patients.
Results Summary
Nordic walking was found to be a safe and effective method to enhance physical activity in the elderly, improving fitness, performance, and exercise capacity in individuals with age-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, early-stage Parkinson's disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as reducing depression in women with Sjögren's Syndrome.
Population
Older adults (average age 65 years) with age-associated diseases.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nordic walking | increase | physical activity | the elderly | - | provides a safe and effective way to enhance | #1 |
Nordic walking | increase | fitness | aged persons with diseases associated with an advanced age | - | improves | #2 |
Nordic walking | increase | performance | aged persons with diseases associated with an advanced age | - | improves | #3 |
Nordic walking | increase | exercise capacity | aged persons with diseases associated with an advanced age | - | improves | #4 |
Nordic walking | decrease | depression | women with Sjögren's Syndrome | - | lowering | #5 |
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this article is to review the literature regarding the effectiveness and safety of Nordic walking (NW) in therapeutic rehabilitation in patients of an advanced age. METHODS: Randomized studies comparing NW with different patterns of long-lasting physical rehabilitation in older adults (average age 65 years) were selected for the review. Studies were identified through a Medline database search covering the last 21 years. RESULTS: Seventy-four studies on this subject were identified, 37 of them fulfilled the required criteria and 27 of these were analyzed in this review. DISCUSSION: Nordic walking provides a safe and effective way to enhance physical activity in the elderly. It could also serve as a method of rehabilitation that improves fitness, the performance and the exercise capacity of aged persons with diseases associated with an advanced age: cardiovascular diseases due to atherosclerosis; metabolic syndrome without diabetes; early stage Parkinson's disease; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lowering depression in women with Sjögren's Syndrome.