Nordic Walking for Individuals With Osteoporosis, Vertebral Fracture or Hyperkyphosis

Summary

Nordic walking is currently offered by a number of health care practitioners as a form of exercise therapy for older adults at risk of fracture. These include older individuals with osteoporosis, previous vertebral fracture, or hyperkyphosis. To the investigators knowledge, this practice is not evidence-based and thus potentially problematic as benefits and safety of Nordic walking for individuals with osteoporosis, fractures, or hyperkyphosis are unknown. The proposed study will answer the following principal question: Does Nordic walking improve mobility, physical function, posture, and quality of life for ambulant community dwelling individuals who have osteoporosis, a history of osteoporotic fracture, or hyperkyphosis? Participants will be randomized into either the Nordic walking intervention group, or the waiting-list control group. Participants will initially train 3 times per week for 3 months, led by peer- and/or student-instructors. The Nordic walking training will depend on the participant's skill and comfort level and will consist of walking with poles over a distance set individually for each participant. The control group will receive the same 3-month Nordic walking intervention after their control follow-up measurements are completed.

Conditions

• Osteoporosis
• Hyperkyphosis
• Vertebral Fracture

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Nordic Walking exercise

Participants will initially train 3 times per week for 3 months. Training sessions will be led by trained peer- and/or student-instructors. Nordic walking sessions (starting at 20 and progressing to 60min/session) will include a warm-up, strengthening, and dynamic balance and stretching exercises in addition to Nordic walking, as per the Saskatoon Health Region guide (Saskatoon Health Region, 2014). Training (distance and intensity) will be progressive and individually set.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Royal University Hospital Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Saskatchewan

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Saija Kontulainen, PhD · University of Saskatchewan

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-10-18

Primary Completion

2023-12-21

Completion

2023-12-21

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations