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Abstract

Nordic Walking (NW) is an increasingly popular physical activity with beneficial health effects. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the effect of different factors that may influence its performance. The aim of this study was to compare the range of motion of the trunk and upper extremities during NW with conventional walking (W) at different walking speeds and ground slope. 16 healthy men participated in the survey (age 22.7±1.3 years, weight 75.5±5.3 kg, height 180±5.0 cm), who performed NW and W treadmill trials on inclines of 0% and 8%. The treadmill speed was self-selected for each subject at start for NW and then increased by 10 and 20%. VICON MX system was applied for 3D kinematic analysis. During NW, the range of motion of the pelvis in sagittal plane significantly increased compared to W (p = 0.002). During NW on flat ground at speed increased by 10 and 20% respectively, the range of motion at the shoulder joint in sagittal plane was considerably smaller (p = 0.010 and p = 0.035 resp.) than during W. The range of motion at the elbow joint was significantly higher during NW at self-selected speed and on 8% incline (p = 0.003) when compared to W. The same applies for speed increase by 10% (p = 0.011).