Ottawa, Canada – Nordic walking has been shown to be more effective in improving functional ability than continuous moderate-to-high-intensity exercise and high-intensity interval training (HIIT, alternating between short-term intense exertion with periods of low-intensity activity) in a single center randomized controlled trial.

Participants who practiced Nordic walking saw that their functional ability, as measured using distances from the 6-minute walk test, improved more than people who followed any of the other walking strategies. Exercise (effect interaction, P = 0.010).

From baseline to Week 26, the mean changes in 6-min walking test distance were 55.6 m and 59.9 m for moderate-to-high-intensity continuous training and HIIT, respectively, but by 94.2 m in the Nordic walking group, it was reported. Tasuko Teradafrom the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (Ontario, Canada) and colleagues.

The results were published online on June 14 at Canadian Journal of Cardiology^[1].

lasting effects

a previous search had looked at these same results at the end of the 12-week intervention and showed that although all three strategies were safe and had positive effects on the physical and mental health of these patients, Nordic walking had a better effect on increasing 6. The researchers noted that the results of Accurate walking tests from medium to high intensity continuous training and HIIT.

“This study is an extension of previous study to show that Nordic walking has lasting effects even beyond the observational phase” of 12 to 26 weeks, Tasuko Terada said in an interview.

“Exercise is a treatment that can improve patients’ health, but unfortunately it is not used as often as it should,” the researcher said. theheart.org | Medscape Heart.

Offering patients additional exercise techniques is helpful because not everyone likes high-intensity interval training or long, continuous walking, Tasuko Terada said. “If this is the case, we can recommend Nordic walking as an alternative type of exercise and expect a similar or lower quality effect on functional ability.”

I think this supports the idea that physical activity and exercise, as many other studies show, improve functional ability, no matter how measured, and have beneficial effects on mental health and quality of life, and in particular on depression.” Dr. Carl “Chip” Lavieof the University of Queensland School of Medicine (New Orleans) who co-wrote an editorial accompanying the publication ^[2]in a phone interview.

Doctors need to encourage patients to do the type of exercise they want to do. A lot of people ask what is the best exercise, and the best exercise is one that a person will do,” said Dr. Lavie.

Dr. M. pointed out.

“I think it provides an additional option that not many people would have considered. For many patients with musculoskeletal issues, posture, gait or balance issues, using canes can be a way to allow them to walk better and increase their speed, thus becoming more in better condition.” . life.

Additionally, these findings underscore the interest in using Nordic walking in cardiac rehabilitation programs, note the editors.

Cardiac rehabilitation

The study included coronary artery patients who had undergone cardiac revascularization. Then their doctor referred them to a cardiac rehabilitation program.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following intervention groups: Nordic walking (n = 30), moderate to high intensity continuous training (n = 27), and HIIT (n = 29) for 12 weeks. Then there was an additional 14-week observation period after the exercise program. The median age was approximately 60 years in all intervention groups.

The research team analyzed participants’ extent of depression with the Beck Depression Inventory-II, quality of life using Short Form-36 and HeartQoL, and functional ability with a 6-minute walking test. They assessed functional ability, depression and quality of life when included, at 12 weeks and 26 weeks.

Using mixed linear models with extended measures, the study authors evaluated rapid effects, that is, between the 12th and 26th week, and prolonged effects, that is, between study start and 26 weeks.

From baseline to week 26, participants performed significantly better with regard to quality of life, depressive symptoms, and the 6-minute walk test (P < 0.05).

Physical quality of life and 6-min walking test distance significantly increased between weeks 12 and 26 (P < 0.05).

Note: At Week 26, all groups reached a minimum clinical threshold difference of 54 m, although participants in the Nordic Walking group showed significant improvement in outcomes.

Other results:

• From the start of the study until week 12, levels of physical activity increased significantly, and this improvement was maintained throughout the observation period.

• During the observation period, the mental criteria composite significantly decreased while the composite scores for the physical criteria improved.

After cardiac rehabilitation ended, functional capacity continued to increase significantly.

Continuous moderate-to-high intensity training, HIIT, and Nordic walking had positive and significant sustained effects on depressive symptoms and general and disease-specific quality of life, with no differences in the extent of improvement between types of exercise.

Study limitations include that women represented only a small portion of the study cohort, which limits the generalizability of this data, that the cohort was recruited from one medical institution, and that the follow-up period was short, the researchers note.

The editors concluded, “Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy and incorporation of Nordic walking into home exercises after supervised cardiac rehabilitation for the maintenance of physical and mental health.”

The article was originally published on Medscape.fr with the title Nordic walking other best exercises on functional outcomes in CVD. Translated by Stephanie Lavaude.

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