BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with impairment in balance and postural control, accompanied by a progressive reduction in the speed and amplitude of movement. AIMS: The aim of our study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of Nordic walking on a treadmill on the balance function and walking ability of individuals with PD. METHOD: Twenty participants with stage 1 to 3 PD in the Hoehn and Yahr scale were randomly allocated to the Nordic walking training (NWT) group and treadmill training (TT) group, with ten participants per group. Measured outcomes included: the motor subscale of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-M), the Berg balance scale (BBS), the Timed Up-and-go test (TUG), the 10-meter walk test (10 MWT), and the 6-minute walk test (6 MWT). RESULTS: Improvement on all outcome measures was identified from pre-to-post intervention for both groups (p < 0.05). Post-intervention, there was a significant between-group difference on measured outcomes (p < 0.05). The NWT group exhibited greater improvement in the UPDRS-M (p = 0.006; 95% CI 0.825 to 4.374), BBS (p = 0.002; 95% CI 1.307 to 5.092), TUG (p = 0.048; 95% CI 0.028 to 2.582), 10 MWT (p = 0.047; 95% CI 0.108 to 2.306), and 6 MWT (p = 0.003; 95% CI 20.302 to 42.097) compared to the TT group. CONCLUSIONS: Our outcomes provide evidence of the therapeutic benefit of Nordic walking on a treadmill to improve balance function and walking ability in individuals with PD.

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