Nordic poles immediately improve walking distance in patients with intermittent claudication

Oakley, Claire, Zwierska, Irena, Tew, Garry, Beard, Jonathan and Saxton, John (2008) Nordic poles immediately improve walking distance in patients with intermittent claudication. European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, 36 (6). pp. 689-694. ISSN 1078-5884

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Open access.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	peripheral arterial disease, intermittent claudication; exercise therapy, Nordic pole walking, Cardiopulmonary workload
Subjects:	A300 Clinical Medicine C600 Sports Science
Department:	Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation
Depositing User:	Prof Garry Tew
Date Deposited:	04 Aug 2015 15:56
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2019 15:29
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23515

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