Effect of Hearing Status on Static Postural Control Performance of College Athletes.

Abstract

Due to the close proximity of the cochlea, vestibular apparatus and shared neurovascular structures, static postural control of athletes who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HoH) may be different than that of athletes who are hearing. Limited research is available to quantify differences between these athletes. Determine the effect of hearing status and stance condition on static postural control performance of athletes. Cross-sectional study. Athletic training facilities. Fifty-five collegiate varsity athletes who are D/HoH (20.62±1.80 yrs., 1.73±0.08 m., 80.34±18.92 kg.) and 100 university club athletes who are hearing (20.11±1.59 yrs., 1.76±0.09 m., 77.66±14.37 kg.) participated in the study. Participants completed the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (mCTSIB) on a tri-axial force plate. Antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) center of pressure (CoP) velocity, AP and ML CoP amplitude root-mean-square (RMS), and 95% ellipse sway area were calculated. Athletes who are D/HoH had a larger CoP velocity, larger ML RMS, and larger sway area than those who are hearing (p < .01 for all). A significant main effect of stance condition was observed for all postural control variables (p < .01 for all). Athletes who are D/HoH demonstrated larger sway compared to athletes who are hearing during the mCTSIB. Therefore, individualized baseline assessments for static postural control performance may be warranted for athletes who are D/HoH as opposed to comparisons to existing normative data.