Effects of Nordic walking interventions in Parkinson’s disease, a systematic review, meta-analysis and bibliometric analysis

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms that impair quality of life (QoL). Pharmacological treatments have side effects; therefore, non-pharmacological interventions, including Nordic walking (NW), are recommended to complement treatment and improve symptoms and QoL. However, previous systematic reviews on the effects of NW in PD reported methodological inconsistencies and evidence gaps, and no bibliometric analysis has examined research trends in this field. This study aimed to update and synthesize the effects of NW on motor and non-motor outcomes and QoL in PD, and to provide a bibliometric overview of research trends. A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus was conducted up to March 2025. Twenty-one studies (14 RCTs) were included. NW interventions improved motor symptoms, functional mobility, walking capacity, balance, QoL, and non-motor symptoms such as depression, cognition, and fatigue. Meta-analyses confirmed clinically meaningful improvements in MDS-UPDRS III scores and 6-minute walk test performance. However, NW was not consistently superior to other active interventions. Bibliometric analysis revealed a declining publication trend since 2020 and limited international collaborations. Overall, NW appears to be a beneficial supervised exercise option for ambulatory people with PD, although heterogeneity and limited data preclude firm conclusions.