Comparison of Gait and Feet during Nordic Pole Walking and Unassisted Walking on a Treadmill

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the degrees of changes in the gait and feet when walking on a treadmill using Nordic poles and without Nordic poles for 30 minutes. [Subjects] The participants of this study were 30 young adult males. The subjects were divided into a Nordic pole walking group of 15 subjects and a normal walking group of 15 subjects. [Methods] The subjects in both groups were encouraged to face forward and walk in comfortable postures on the treadmill. They did not wear any shoes during walking, and the speed of the treadmill was set to the average of the speeds at which the subjects could comfortably walk in both groups. We measured the gait and feet. [Results] In the Nordic pole group, step length was significantly increased. The rate of each segment from heel contact to foot flat and foot flat to heel off during the stance phase after gait showed significant differences between before and after the experiment. [Conclusion] The results of this study indicate that Nordic pole walking increases the stride and can be considered as helping patients with a disease affecting their gait. Since the use of Nordic poles shortens the time from foot flat to heel off, it is considered that the use of Nordic poles can shorten the midstance during the stance phase.