Rehabilitacion · Mar 18, 2026

Effects of nordic walking in individuals with Parkinson's disease: A review of systematic reviews

By Sánchez-Basallote ML, Monge-Pereira E, Machado de Oliveira I et al.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor impairments that substantially affect functional capacity and quality of life. Although pharmacological treatment remains the cornerstone of therapeutic management, exercise-based interventions have gained prominence as effective complementary strategies. Among these, Nordic walking has emerged as a potentially beneficial modality to enhance motor performance and increase overall muscular engagement during locomotion. This overview of systematic reviews aims to synthesize the available evidence on the effects of Nordic walking in individuals diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, with a particular focus on its impact on functional capacity. The methodological assessment conducted using the AMSTAR-2 tool (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Reviews-2) revealed confidence ratings ranging from moderate to critically low, which limits the overall robustness of the conclusions. The findings suggest that Nordic walking may be associated with improvements in clinically relevant domains such as quality of life, gait speed, step length, aerobic capacity, and balance. However, given the substantial methodological limitations of several included reviews, these conclusions should be interpreted with caution.

doi.org/10.1016/j.rh.2026.100971 Open access PubMed 41855948 Interventions