Abstract
PURPOSE: People who are Deaf and hard of hearing have an “invisible” disability because they can do everything except hear. The inner ear has two primary functions: sound and balance. The purpose of a cochlear implant is to restore and simulate the loss of sounds sensed by the auditory nerve. METHODS: A total of 20 subjects, including 10 Deaf with both-sided users, 10 Deaf with one-sided users, 10 Deaf without CIs, and 10 normal-hearing subjects performed bilateral (BLS) and single-leg stance tests (SLS) with open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE), on the ground or foam pads, and the Y-Balance test (YBT) with their dominant leg. Each condition lasted 30 seconds with one-minute break between, repeated three times randomly, totaling 27 trials. For each trial, ground reaction force (GRF) and center of pressure (COP) data were recorded at 2000Hz. RESULTS: Deaf individuals with CIs exhibited greater root mean square (RMS) COP displacement and higher COP velocity than Deaf individuals without CIs and normal-hearing. This indicates increased postural instability among both CIs users. Deaf with one-sided CI demonstrated similar RMS COP displacement and COP velocity as those with both-sided CIs, suggesting even one-sided CI may contribute to balance challenges comparable to those with both-sided CI. Both-sided users demonstrated the highest GRF asymmetry during SLS, suggesting greater weight distribution during SLS with OE and CE. One-sided CI users showed similar levels of GRF aligned with both-sided CIs than those without CIs. Both-sided users exhibited higher GRF asymmetry and COP velocity than Deaf without CIs. Subjects with both-sided CIs showed GRF and COP compared to subjects with one-sided CI and without CI. Those subjects with one-sided CI received similar results to those with both-sided CI compared to those without CI. YBT performance was largely similar across groups, suggesting potential variability in dynamic balance among CI users. CONCLUSION: In general, CI users had a lessened balance control ability compared to hearing adults. Future research should explore balance across the Deaf spectrum to develop assessment tools and tailored rehabilitation, including balance training, to meet the community’s diverse needs.
Recommended Citation
Hori, Kayla E.; Hinkel-Lipsker, Jacob; Kwasek, Marek R.; Sarkisyan, Sarkis; and Mazariegos, Kenneth M.
(2025)
"Equilibrium or Silence, Why Understanding the Balance is Crucial,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14:
Iss.
5, Article 56.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss5/56
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