Effects of Nordic walking in people with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the effectiveness of Nordic Walking as a rehabilitation strategy for Parkinson's disease.
Results Summary
Nordic Walking showed statistically significant benefits for walking ability and quality of life in Parkinson's patients, but no clinically meaningful improvements in global motor impairment, functional mobility, balance, or physical fitness. Some adverse effects were reported, though adherence to programs was good.
Population
People with Parkinson's disease
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nordic walking | no change | global motor impairment | patients with PD | no clinically significant change | does not lead to clinically significant changes | #1 |
Nordic walking | no change | functional mobility | patients with PD | no clinically significant change | does not lead to clinically significant changes | #2 |
Nordic walking | no change | balance | patients with PD | no clinically significant change | does not lead to clinically significant changes | #3 |
Nordic walking | no change | physical fitness | patients with PD | no clinically significant change | does not lead to clinically significant changes | #4 |
Nordic walking | increase | walking ability | patients with PD | - | seems to improve | #5 |
Nordic walking | increase | quality of life | patients with PD | - | seems to improve | #6 |
Nordic walking (NW) may be a beneficial treatment for people with Parkinson's disease (PD). Since high-quality research has been published on the effects of NW on people with PD by now, an actualised and comprehensive, in-depth review is recommended to guide practitioners in prescribing this exercise modality. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of NW as a rehabilitation strategy for PD. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was performed using Pubmed, SportDiscus and Scopus up to May 2021. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) addressing the impact of a NW intervention on any outcomes in people with PD were included. The critical appraisal of the RCTs was retrieved from the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) or evaluated using the PEDro scale. The Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool was also employed. The review was not registered a priori on any database and a review protocol was not published. Twelve studies were included in the review. The investigations were mostly good-to-fair methodological quality, and risk of bias was acceptable. None of the reported statistically significant benefits of NW were clinically meaningful, except for walking ability. Although adherence to NW programs was good, some adverse effects derived from its practice were informed. The practice of Nordic Walking does not lead to clinically significant changes in global motor impairment, functional mobility, balance and physical fitness in patients with PD. This therapy seems to improve walking ability and quality of life, although further research in this latter outcome is needed.