Nordic walking and arm swing asymmetry in people with Parkinson’s disease: protocol for a randomised clinical trial

Abstract

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) face disruptions in arm swing (AS) motion during walking, including a reduction in amplitude and an increase in asymmetry. Both conditions are detrimental to gait performance. Nordic walking (NW) is a walking modality that uses poles and can positively affect the parameters of AS. This study aims to compare an NW with a free walking (FW) protocol and investigate its effects on AS asymmetry, AS amplitude and gait parameters in people with PD. Twenty-eight people with PD, stages 1–3 on the Hoehn and Yahr Scale, will be randomly assigned to the NW training group (n=14) or the FW training group (n=14). The primary outcomes are amplitude asymmetry of AS (%) and AS amplitude (deg). We will also analyse temporospatial measurements during walking, functional mobility and quality of life. Blinded researchers will conduct evaluations at baseline (T0), postintervention (T1) and at 1 month follow-up (T2). Participants will complete 24 supervised NW or FW training sessions for 12 weeks. This is the first study to address the effects of NW on the asymmetry of AS, AS amplitude and its influence on gait parameters. We hypothesise that an NW programme in PD will reduce the asymmetry and increase the AS amplitude during gait to a greater extent than FW. The results of this study may provide new evidence to understand the effects of NW on gait in people with PD. The study was registered in ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT06342271).