Evaluation of balance ability in elite sports with hearing impaired above 18 years old

Aim: To compare the balance performance of hearing impaired elite athletes with healthy elite athletes. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 individuals, including 20 hearing impaired elite athletes and 20 healthy elite athletes, were included in the study. It was determined that all individuals in the hearing impaired group used hearing aids and had severe to profound hearing loss. The measurements of the individuals were taken before the training, the hearing impaired athletes were evaluated without a hearing aid. Romberg Test, FDT, FUT, DAKT, YGDT and YDT were administered, respectively. Results: Groups were compared in terms of gender, dominant side, and nationality and were similar between groups in terms of these variables. The training frequency and training ages were higher in the control group compared to the hearing impaired group. In FDT, the decline in deaf elite athletes was higher than healthy controls. The forward reach in FUT was similar in both groups. It was observed that the values of the healthy control group were significantly better than the hearing impaired group in DAKT. In YGDT, reaching distances of healthy elite athletes in lateral, posterolateral, posterior, posteromedial, medial and left anteromedial directions were statistically significantly higher than elite athletes with hearing impairment. There was no difference between the two groups in anterior, anterolateral and right anteromedial extension. In HST, it was determined that the control group had better results than the hearing impaired group in other parameters other than leaning forward with the left leg while standing on the right leg. It was observed that the balance on the right leg was similar in both groups. Conclusion: The deaf elite athletes had lower balance than healthy elite athletes. The disappearance of this difference when reaching forward in dynamic balance tests suggests that the balance improves with the activation of vision. Key Words: Hearing Impaired, Elite Athlete, Balance