The Influence of Nordic Walking on Isokinetic Trunk Muscle Endurance and Sagittal Spinal Curvatures in Women after Breast Cancer Treatment: Age-Specific Indicators

Abstract

Nordic walking (NW) is a popular form of rehabilitation. NW improves psychophysical condition in breast cancer (BC) survivors. This study aimed to analyze the effects of NW on functional and postural changes of the trunk in women of different ages after BC. We hypothesized that an age relationship would be found. BC survivors (n = 39) were stratified by age as “middle- aged” (45–59 years) or “older” (60–75 years), then randomly allocated to the training intervention. A study group (SG, n = 19) participated in NW and a control group (CG, n = 20) performed general gymnastics. The sagittal spinal curvatures and isokinetic trunk muscle endurance were recorded at two time points, pre- and post-training intervention. Significant within NW group changes (p < 0.05) were found for the total work (TW) and average power (AP) of trunk flexors and extensors and the upper thoracic angle in middle-aged women. In older Nordic walkers, significant increases in TW and AP of the trunk flexor muscles were observed, with a negative increase in the trunk inclination angle. In CG, no significant functional or postural changes were observed in response to general gymnastics. NW improved both functional and postural changes in middle-aged women. This study identified the limitations of NW training in older women.

The Influence of Nordic Walking on Spinal Posture, Physical Function, and Back Pain in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Pilot Study

“…The results of insignificant changes of spinal posture in this study are consistent with two previous studies, which found that 6-8 weeks of Nordic walking training did not significantly alter spinal posture during walking in healthy, older adults [16] and elderly women with Parkinson's disease [18]. In contrast, a previous study showed that, compared to general gymnastics, eight weeks of Nordic walking training significantly reduced thoracic kyphosis of middle-aged women after breast cancer treatment [17].…”

“…Nordic walking requires the forward inclination of the trunk, resulting in a smaller trunk flexion angle [16] and increased activation of the trunk muscles [30]. However, there are limited scientific reports examining the effect of Nordic walking on spinal posture in older adults [16][17][18]. The results of insignificant changes of spinal posture in this study are consistent with two previous studies, which found that 6-8 weeks of Nordic walking training did not significantly alter spinal posture during walking in healthy, older adults [16] and elderly women with Parkinson's disease [18].…”

“…Nordic walking is a particular form of walking, and involves the use of specially designed walking poles in opposition to lower limb locomotion. From a biomechanical perspective, using the poles is thought to facilitate a more upright posture; however, there are only limited scientific reports examining the effect of Nordic walking on spinal posture in older adults [16][17][18]. The results are inconsistent, and none of the studies used radiographic images to assess thoracic kyphosis.…”

The Influence of External Breast Prostheses on the Body Postures of Women Who Have Undergone Mastectomies

“…Among the recently discussed breast cancer issues is the postural control assessment in women after mastectomy [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. A review of the above-mentioned publications indicated that the undertaken research was concerned with the impact of mastectomy on body static conditions [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ] and body posture of women who had received mastectomies [ 7 , 10 , 18 , 19 ,…”

Spinal curvatures of yoga practitioners compared to control participants—a cross-sectional study

“…Previous studies assessing posture in athletes have indicated specific spinal adaptations in several types of athletes such as volleyball players ( Grabara, 2020 ; Grabara, 2015 ), handball players ( Grabara, 2014a ), basketball players ( Grabara, 2016 ), cyclists ( Muyor, Lopez-Minarro & Alacid, 2011 ), skiers ( Alricsson & Werner, 2006 ), rhythmic gymnasts ( Kums et al, 2007 ), dancers ( Kruusamae et al, 2015 ), hockey ( De Baranda et al, 2020 ) and wrestlers ( Rajabi et al, 2008 ). Specific exercise programs or other forms of PA such as Nordic Walking ( Hanuszkiewicz, Wozniewski & Malicka, 2021 ), Pilates ( González-Gálvez et al, 2020 ) a hatha yoga can also have an influence on posture.…”