Effects of an Independent Walking Program With Walking Poles in People With Parkinson Disease

NCT06908135 | Terminated

• 1 other identifier: 24-032
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 11
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

• Study Purpose: The purpose of the study is to compare changes in activity levels and walking in people with Parkinson disease after an 8-week independent walking program with or without using walking poles.
• Major parts of the Study: Before the walking program: You will wear an activity sensor on your upper leg for one week to track activity levels. Measurements will be taken of you while you are walking. If you are placed in the walking pole group, you will be trained on how to use walking poles. Independent walking program: You will be asked to walk at least 3 times each week for 8 weeks and keep a log of your walking. If you are in the walking pole group, you will walk with the poles. After the walking program: Your walking measurements will be collected as before the walking program. You will wear an activity sensor for one week.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Keywords

walking; physical activity; gait; arm swing; Nordic walking

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Gait Characteristic - gait speed

  Gait characteristics collected on Zenomat walkway, including gait speed (m/s)

  Prior to initiation of 8 week walking program and immediately upon completion.

• Gait Characteristic - step length

  Gait characteristics collected on Zenomat walkway, including step length (m)

  Prior to initiation of 8 week walking program and immediately upon completion.

• Gait Characteristic - step symmetry

  Gait characteristics collected on Zenomat walkway, including step symmetry (symmetry index, %)

  Prior to initiation of 8 week walking program and immediately upon completion.

• Gait Characteristic - gait variability

  Gait characteristics collected on Zenomat walkway, including gait variability (enhanced gait variability index)

  Prior to initiation of 8 week walking program and immediately upon completion.

Secondary Outcomes (11)

• Physical Activity

  Upon enrollment for 1 week, followed by 8 week independent walking program with no activity monitoring, then upon walking program completion for 1 week.

• Physical Activity - daily steps

  Upon enrollment for 1 week, followed by 8 week independent walking program with no activity monitoring, then upon walking program completion for 1 week.

• Physical Activity - daily sit to stands

  Upon enrollment for 1 week, followed by 8 week independent walking program with no activity monitoring, then upon walking program completion for 1 week.

• Physical Activity - activity score

  Upon enrollment for 1 week, followed by 8 week independent walking program with no activity monitoring, then upon walking program completion for 1 week.

• Four Square Step Test

  Prior to initiation of 8 week walking program and immediately upon completion.

Study Arms (2)

Walking Poles

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants who will be using walking poles

Behavioral: Independent walking program using walking poles

No Walking Poles

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants who will not be using walking poles

Behavioral: Independent walking program without walking poles

Interventions

Independent walking program without walking poles BEHAVIORAL

Participants will independently walk at least 3 times a week for 8 weeks without walking poles

No Walking Poles

Independent walking program using walking poles BEHAVIORAL

Participants will independently walk at least 3 times a week for 8 weeks using walking poles

Walking Poles

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• diagnosis of Parkinson disease,
• ability to walk independently with or without a cane,
• receive medical clearance to participate in an independent walking,
• English or Spanish language proficiency at 8th grade level.

You may not qualify if:

• diagnosis of any neurological disease other than PD (including but not limited to stroke, dementia, and multiple sclerosis; mild cognitive impairment is not excluded),
• use of walking poles during walking for exercise more than 4 times during the last year (hiking with poles permitted),
• weight of more than 320 lb or height more than 6'4",
• allergy to medical-grade adhesive,
• unable to participate in walking for more than 5 consecutive days during the study period (ie, traveling, scheduled surgery),
• a change in Parkinson medication that affects Levodopa levels (including additions, removals, or changes in dosage) during the study period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences: lead

Study Sites (1)

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

Yakima, Washington, 98901, United States

Location

Related Publications (4)

• Warmerdam E, Romijnders R, Welzel J, Hansen C, Schmidt G, Maetzler W. Quantification of Arm Swing during Walking in Healthy Adults and Parkinson's Disease Patients: Wearable Sensor-Based Algorithm Development and Validation. Sensors (Basel). 2020 Oct 21;20(20):5963. doi: 10.3390/s20205963.

  PMID: 33096899 BACKGROUND

• Shearin SM, McCain KJ, Querry R. Description of novel instrumented analysis of the Four Square Step Test with clinical application: A pilot study. Gait Posture. 2020 Oct;82:14-19. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.08.119. Epub 2020 Aug 20.

  PMID: 32858317 BACKGROUND

• Salse-Batan J, Sanchez-Lastra MA, Suarez-Iglesias D, Varela S, Ayan C. Effects of Nordic walking in people with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Soc Care Community. 2022 Sep;30(5):e1505-e1520. doi: 10.1111/hsc.13842. Epub 2022 May 20.

  PMID: 35593147 BACKGROUND

• Cugusi L. Nordic Walking for the Management of People With Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review - ClinicalKey. Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www-clinicalkey-com.proxy.pnwu.org/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0-S1934148217302897?returnurl=null&referrer=null

  BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Behavior

Study Officials

• Tiffany Salido, DPT, PhD

  Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Single center, two arm, pre-test post-test parallel design with 2 cohorts of participants.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 12, 2025
• First Posted: April 3, 2025
• Study Start: March 29, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2025
• Study Completion: June 30, 2025
• Last Updated: March 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)