Article

BACKGROUND: It is well known that physical exercise is the main therapeutic
element of rehabilitation programs for people with Parkinson disease (PD). As
traditional forms of exercise can guarantee significant health benefits, the
emergence of nonconventional physical activities, such as Nordic walking (NW),
may add positive effects. OBJECTIVE: To appraise the available evidence on the
main effects of NW in the rehabilitation programs for people with PD and to
propose a design for upcoming research that might improve the uniformity of
future trials. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. LITERATURE SURVEY: A literature
search of 5 established databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and
Cochrane) was conducted. METHODOLOGY: Any relevant randomized controlled trials
pertinent to NW in PD published in English from inception to February 2017 were
included. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
guidelines were followed, and the methodologic quality of each study was assessed
by the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. DATA SYNTHESIS: Sixty-six studies
were retrieved, and 6 randomized controlled trials (221 subjects) were entered
into the qualitative synthesis. Overall, these studies portrayed NW as feasible
and likely to be effective in improving the functional and clinical outcomes of
people with PD. When we compared NW with other exercise-based interventions, such
as treadmill training, free walking, a program of standardized whole-body
movements with maximal amplitude (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment BIG training), or
a home-based exercise program, the findings proved controversial. CONCLUSIONS:
High heterogeneity and methodologic discrepancies among the studies prevent us
from drawing firm conclusions on the effectiveness of NW in comparison with other
exercise-based interventions currently used by people with PD. Further
investigations with a common design are necessary to verify whether NW may be
included within conventional rehabilitation programs commonly recommended to
people with PD. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS