Randomized clinical trial comparing Nordic pole walking and a standard home exercise programme in patients with intermittent claudication

Abstract

Background This was a randomized clinical trial to determine whether Nordic pole walking (NPW) is more effective in improving walking distance than a standard home exercise programme (HEP) in patients with intermittent claudication. Methods Fifty-two patients with stable claudication were allocated randomly to a standard HEP or NPW group, and asked to complete three 30-min walks per week for 12 weeks. Claudication distance (CD) and maximum walking distance (MWD) were measured at 0 (baseline), 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Patients in the NPW group were tested with (NPW+) and without (NPW-) poles. Results For NPW+, CD increased immediately from a median (range) of 124 (71-248) m to 148 (116-426) m, and MWD from 248 (149-900) to 389 (194-1099) m (P = 0·004 and P < 0·001 respectively). By 12 weeks, CD had further increased to 199 (118-550) m and MWD had more than doubled to 538 (250-1750) m (P < 0·001 and P = 0·001). For NPW-, CD at 12 weeks had increased significantly to 151 (100-328) m and MWD to 400 (200-900) m (P < 0·001 and P = 0·006 respectively). At 12 weeks the changes in the standard HEP group were not significant, despite excellent compliance: CD from 107 (56-332) to 153 (59-321) m and MWD from 355 (92-600) to 334 (149-874) m (P = 0·030 and P = 0·260 respectively). Conclusion A 12-week exercise programme using Nordic poles significantly improved walking distance in claudicants compared with a standard HEP. Registration number: ISRCTN78168304 (http://www.controlled-trials.com). Nordic poles are beneficial © 2014 BJS Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.