Hearing Status and Static Postural Control of Collegiate Athletes

Abstract

Context: Because of the close proximity of the cochlea, vestibular apparatus, and shared neurovascular structures, the static postural control of athletes who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HoH) may be different from that of athletes who are hearing. Limited research is available to quantify differences between these athletes. Objective: To determine the effect of hearing status and stance condition on the static postural control of athletes. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Athletic training facilities. Patients or Other Participants: Fifty-five collegiate varsity athletes who were D/HoH (age = 20.62 6 1.80 years, height = 1.73 6 0.08 m, mass = 80.34 6 18.92 kg) and 100 university club athletes who were hearing (age = 20.11 6 1.59 years, height = 1.76 6 0.09 m, mass = 77.66 6 14.37 kg). Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants completed the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance on a triaxial force plate. Anteroposterior and mediolateral (ML) center-of-pressure (CoP) velocity, anteroposterior and ML CoP amplitude root mean square, and 95% ellipse sway area were calculated. Results: Athletes who were D/HoH had a larger CoP velocity, larger ML root mean square, and larger sway area than those who were hearing (P values, .01). A significant main effect of stance condition was observed for all postural control variables (P values, .01). Conclusions: During the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance, athletes who were D/HoH demonstrated a larger sway area compared with athletes who were hearing. Therefore, individualized baseline assessments of static postural control may be warranted for athletes who are D/HoH as opposed to comparisons with existing normative data.