Nordic walking influence on biomechanical parameters: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: Nordic walking (NW) as a form of physical activity has been shown to have benefits in various domains, but little is known about the effect of NW on more specific biomechanical parameters. The purpose is to determine the impact of NW on the following parameters: walking speed/distance, muscle activation, spariotemporal parameters, kinematics and ground reaction force. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A literature search was carried out in different databases from October 2008 to October 2018. This review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Finally, 42 studies with a median PEDro Score of 5.5/10 were included. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: The included studies reported increased walking distance (+14.8%, P<0.05), walking speed (+25.5%, P<0.05), and stride length (+10.4%, P<0.05), but decreased cadence (-6.2%, P<0.05). NW generally increased: muscle activation and strength for upper limbs; upper and lower limb range of motion, and ground reaction force. CONCLUSIONS: NW has beneficial effects on many biomechanical parameters. It appears to be an effective way of doing physical activity and could be used in physical rehabilitation or in daily life.