title: Nordic walking improves mobility in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Nordic walking may improve mobility in Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we examined whether the beneficial effects persist after the training period. We included 19 PD patients [14 men; mean age 67.0 years (range 58-76); Hoehn and Yahr stage range 1-3] who received a 6-week Nordic walking exercise program. Outcome was assessed prior to training (T1), immediately after the training period (T2) and-in a subgroup of 9 patients--5 months after training (T3). At T2, we observed a significant improvement in timed 10-m walking, the timed get-up-and-go-test (TUG), the 6-min walking test and quality of life (PDQ-39). All treatment effects persisted at T3. Compliance was excellent, and there were no adverse effects. These preliminary findings suggest that Nordic walking could provide a safe, effective, and enjoyable way to reduce physical inactivity in PD and to improve the quality of life. A large randomized clinical trial now appears justified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frank J M
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: van Eijkeren
authors.forename: Ruud S J
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Reijmers
authors.forename: Mirjam J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kleinveld
authors.forename: Angret
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minten
authors.forename: Jan Pieter Ter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Bruggen
authors.forename: Bastiaan R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Bloem
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*