Six-Week Nordic Treadmill Training Compared with Treadmill Training on Balance, Gait, and Activities of Daily Living for Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Recently, stroke rehabilitation training programs have contained elements of sporting activities. Arm swing is a particularly important factor in gait; accordingly, the use of the Nordic walking exercise has been advocated in the literature. Objective Our objective is to compare the effects of Nordic treadmill training (NTT) and treadmill training (TT) on balance, gait, and activities of daily living (ADL) in stroke patients. Methods Thirty stroke patients were randomly allocated to NTT and TT groups. NTT and TT were performed for 30 minutes each day, 5 times per week for 6 weeks. The Berg Balance Scale, the timed up and go test, and the tetra-ataxiometric posturography tests were used to assess balance; the 10-meter walk test, 6-minute walk test, and modified Barthel Index were used to measure balance, gait, and ADL. Results After 6 weeks of training, balance, gait, and ADL improved significantly in both groups, but NTT was associated with greater improvements compared to TT for all 3 measures. Conclusion This study is the first to assess the effects of NTT on balance, gait, and ADL in stroke patients. The data indicate that NTT represents an effective adjunctive treatment to TT in this population.