Abstract
Objective: Gait variability is an important feature in clinical treatment of people with walking problems. Since the gait variability has not been yet evaluated among deaf people, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the gait variability in deaf children and compare it with normal-hearing peers. Methods: The study population consists of deaf and normal-hearing children living in Hamedan, Iran. Of these, 10 deaf (aged 8-14 years) and 10 with normal hearing matched for age and anthropometric characteristics volunteered to participate in the study. The 3D Vicon motion analysis system was used to measure the kinematic gait parameters in subjects. Paired sample t-test was used for within-group comparison and independent sample t-test for between-group comparison. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS software by considering a significance level of P<0.05. Results: The gait variability after proprioception training decreased in deaf children, but this change was not statistically significant (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups before and after the training (P>0.05). Conclusion: It is suggested that balance exercise with an emphasis on proprioception training be included in the physical education program of deaf children.
Highlights
H earing loss is one of the most common sensory disorders in developed countries [1, 2] and is usually diagnosed in the first years of life
Most children who have vestibular disorder are not diagnosed because they have the ability to walk [23], but these children do not participate in games and outdoor activities, and teachers often complain of poor balance and coordination in these children that may prevent them from performing ideally [24]
When walking, the gait speed decreased significantly in deaf children compared to healthy peers
Summary
The study population consists of all deaf and normal-hearing people living in Hamedan. 10 deaf people (aged 8-14 years) and 10 normal-hearing peers with similar age and anthropometric characteristics volunteered to participate in the study. The 3D Vicon motion analysis system was used to measure the kinematic gait variables in both groups. After the pre-test assessment, subjects participated in the proprioception training program for 4 weeks, 3 sessions per week each for 45 minutes with an emphasis on the proprioceptive system. The spatio-temporal gait parameters were extracted using Polygan version 3.5.2 software, and the formula (coefficient of variation) was used to calculate the variability of these parameters. All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS software by considering a significance level of (P
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