TY - JOUR
T1 - Nordic poles immediately improve walking distance in patients with intermittent claudication
AU - Oakley, Claire
AU - Zwierska, Irena
AU - Tew, Garry
AU - Beard, Jonathan
AU - Saxton, John
N1 - Open access.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Objectives - To investigate the immediate effects of Nordic pole walking (NPW) on walking distance and cardiopulmonary workload in patients with intermittent claudication.
Methods - Using a standardised treadmill test (3.2 km h−1 at 4% gradient), walking distance, cardiopulmonary responses, leg pain and perceived exertion during NPW were compared to responses evoked by normal walking in 20 patients with intermittent claudication. The distance to onset of claudication pain (claudication distance: CD) and to maximum walking distance (MWD), heart rate (HR), expired gas parameters, leg pain (Borg's CR-10 Scale) and perceived exertion (Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion: RPE Scale) were compared.
Results - CD increased significantly from a median (range) distance of 77 m (28–503) to 130 m (41–1080) and MWD increased significantly from 206 m (81–1078) to 285 m (107–1080) when patients used the Nordic poles (P = 0.000). The level of leg pain at MWD was also significantly reduced during NPW (P = 0.002). Perceived exertion at MWD did not increase despite an increase in cardiopulmonary work, as indicated by an increase in oxygen consumption (16.5%; P = 0.000).
Conclusion - These results show that NPW immediately enables patients with intermittent claudication to walk further with less pain, despite a higher workload. NPW might also be a useful exercise strategy for improving the cardiovascular fitness of patients with intermittent claudication.
AB - Objectives - To investigate the immediate effects of Nordic pole walking (NPW) on walking distance and cardiopulmonary workload in patients with intermittent claudication.
Methods - Using a standardised treadmill test (3.2 km h−1 at 4% gradient), walking distance, cardiopulmonary responses, leg pain and perceived exertion during NPW were compared to responses evoked by normal walking in 20 patients with intermittent claudication. The distance to onset of claudication pain (claudication distance: CD) and to maximum walking distance (MWD), heart rate (HR), expired gas parameters, leg pain (Borg's CR-10 Scale) and perceived exertion (Borg's Rating of Perceived Exertion: RPE Scale) were compared.
Results - CD increased significantly from a median (range) distance of 77 m (28–503) to 130 m (41–1080) and MWD increased significantly from 206 m (81–1078) to 285 m (107–1080) when patients used the Nordic poles (P = 0.000). The level of leg pain at MWD was also significantly reduced during NPW (P = 0.002). Perceived exertion at MWD did not increase despite an increase in cardiopulmonary work, as indicated by an increase in oxygen consumption (16.5%; P = 0.000).
Conclusion - These results show that NPW immediately enables patients with intermittent claudication to walk further with less pain, despite a higher workload. NPW might also be a useful exercise strategy for improving the cardiovascular fitness of patients with intermittent claudication.
KW - peripheral arterial disease
KW - intermittent claudication
KW - exercise therapy
KW - Nordic pole walking
KW - Cardiopulmonary workload
U2 - 10.1016/j.ejvs.2008.06.036
DO - 10.1016/j.ejvs.2008.06.036
M3 - Article
VL - 36
SP - 689
EP - 694
JO - European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
JF - European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery
SN - 1078-5884
IS - 6
ER -