The Characteristics of Balance in Persons with Hearing Impairment Evaluated by Body Sway and Balance Exercises.

This study investigated the characteristics of balance in persons with hearing impairment (PHI), and analyzed the effect of their vestibular function on balance. The subjects were 22 PHI aged 12 to 20 years. Balance abilities were evaluated by body sway and balance exercises (beam walking and one foot balancing). Beam walking was measured with eyes open and body sway and one foot balancing were measured with eyes open and with eyes closed.(1) Magnitude of body sway in PHI was similar to that in non-handicapped persons (NHP) under both visual conditions. Also, scores of beam walking and one foot balancing with eyes open in PHI were similar to those in NHP. One foot balancing scores with eyes closed in PHI, however, were lower than those in NHP.(2) From these results and the earlier study, it is suggested that the vestibular function does not affect slight body sway but does play a role in greater sway.