Cardiac Rehabilitation and Nordic Walking: What Cardiologists Confirm
After a heart attack, a bypass, heart failure or a stent, the return to physical activity is not an option: it is a medical prescription. Cardiac rehabilitation is now recognised as reducing the risk of mortality by 20 to 25% after an acute cardiac event — a result comparable to that of statins, beta-blockers and aspirin combined. And among the activities most recommended in this context, Nordic walking now holds a front-rank place.
The study that changed everything: Ottawa Heart Institute
In 2022, a randomised controlled study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology and relayed by Medscape placed Nordic walking at the top of the hierarchy of cardiovascular rehabilitation exercises. Dr Tasuku Terada and his colleagues at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute compared three training strategies in coronary patients:
- Moderate-to-vigorous intensity continuous training (MICT)
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Nordic walking
At 12 weeks, all three groups improved. But it was in the 6-minute walk test — the reference measure of functional cardiac capacity — that the gap widened: the Nordic walking group gained 94.2 metres, against 59.9 m for HIIT and 55.6 m for MICT. Nordic walking was "statistically and clinically superior" to the other two methods. And at 26 weeks, this advantage held, confirming the durability of the benefits.
Why does Nordic walking outperform even HIIT in rehabilitation?
The answer lies in the specificity of the movement. Nordic walking simultaneously engages 90% of the body's muscles, which generates a high cardiovascular demand while keeping joint impact low. Unlike HIIT, which imposes intensity peaks hard to tolerate in the first post-operative months, Nordic walking offers a continuous, adjustable and progressive effort — ideal for hearts under reconstruction.
Dr Jennifer Reed, co-author of the Ottawa study, sums it up: "Exercise is a treatment that improves patients' health, but unfortunately it is not used as often as it should be." Nordic walking makes that exercise accessible, pleasant and effective — even for patients who have never done sport.
Nordic walking in cardiac rehabilitation protocols
In France and Europe, many cardiac rehabilitation centres now build Nordic walking into their programmes. The Luzerner Höhenklinik Montana (Switzerland) includes it in its physical rehabilitation protocols after cardiac surgery. Vascular rehabilitation centres also recommend it for patients with arteritis. The FFA has developed a "sport on prescription" scheme that includes Nordic walking among the activities doctors can prescribe.
The poles' role in the cardiac patient's safety
For a patient in cardiac rehabilitation, safety comes before everything. Poles offer a double benefit in this context:
- Stability and balance: reducing the risk of falling, particularly important in patients on anticoagulants or in general deconditioning
- Intensity control: technical Nordic walking naturally imposes a moderate pace and a regular movement, making it easier to stay in the target intensity zone prescribed by the cardiologist
Light poles — like the MØNARC® Arcs de Marche at 140 grams — also ease the return to activity: a heavy pole tires the shoulders and arms and can discourage outings from the very first sessions. Lightness is a matter of therapeutic compliance as much as of sporting performance.
MØNARC® and health professionals
Corinne Serres, a nurse in a cardiovascular rehabilitation clinic, is among the users of the MØNARC® Arcs de Marche. Her account after several outings: "The technical movement made easier, more spontaneous — you'd almost take flight." A feeling that takes on its full meaning in the context of resuming activity after a cardiac episode.
This article is for information purposes. Any resumption of physical activity after a cardiac event must be approved and supervised by a cardiologist or a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor.