European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery
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Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg · Oct 2018
Meta AnalysisSystematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Trials Examining the Benefit of Exercise Programmes Using Nordic Walking in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease.
An exercise programme is part of the initial management of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Nordic walking uses poles and a core-focused walking technique to reduce the load on the legs, which may have advantages as an exercise programme for PAD. This systematic review examined the benefit of a Nordic walking programme for treating PAD compared with other programmes. ⋯ This systematic review suggests no benefit of Nordic over standard walking as supervised exercise for PAD. Favourable results were reported for one home based Nordic walking programme. A larger trial is needed to assess whether this finding can be replicated or not.