The effect of hearing aids on postural stability

Rumalla, Kavelin; Karim, Adham M.; Hullar, Timothy E.

doi:10.1002/lary.24974

Cited by 106 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

108

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This extends results of previous reports suggesting that spatial auditory cues can improve static balance (1,16), and that hearing instruments may function as balance aids (3,4). Participant M demonstrated consistent, clinically significant improvement while aided, increasing gait velocity by 20.5cm/sec and mini-BESTest by 5 points.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Our results suggest that optimizing auditory inputs may be an effective tool to improve gait, as previously shown in static conditions (3,4), but may be of clinical utility only in some people. Optimization of benefit could include wearing assistive devices such as hearing aids or cochlear implants, or the thoughtful design of interior spaces to maximize the effectiveness of the acoustic environment.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Improvements in Gait With Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants

Shayman

Earhart

Hullar

2017

Otology &Amp; Neurotology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To evaluate whether wearing auditory assistive devices can improve gait and dynamic balance. Patients Three adult users of bilateral hearing assistive devices: one with cytomegalovirus exposure wearing cochlear implants, one with Meniere’s disease wearing hearing aids, and one with presbystasis wearing hearing aids. Intervention Rehabilitative intervention involved participants performing gait and dynamic posture tasks with and without their hearing assistive devices. Main Outcome Measures Gait velocity and Mini-BESTest score. Results The participant with Meniere’s disease showed a clinically significant improvement in gait in the aided versus the unaided condition (20.5 cm/sec higher velocity and 5 point better Mini-BESTest score). The other two participants also improved with augmented audition, but to a lesser degree. Conclusions Bilateral hearing augmentation may promote clinically significant improvements in gait, although the effects are not uniform among patients. Hearing aids or cochlear implants may be important interventions for improving stability during ambulation in some people with hearing loss.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Improvements in Gait With Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants

Shayman

Earhart

Hullar

2017

Otology &Amp; Neurotology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several subsequent studies on various populations confirmed that lack of hearing (partial or total) was detrimental to postural control [e.g., in workers (Kilburn et al, 1992), in the elderly (Rumalla et al, 2015) and in congenitally deaf children (Suarez et al, 2007) or adults (Mangiore, 2012)].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Spatial Cues Provided by Sound Improve Postural Stabilization: Evidence of a Spatial Auditory Map?

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It has long been suggested that sound plays a role in the postural control process. Few studies however have explored sound and posture interactions. The present paper focuses on the specific impact of audition on posture, seeking to determine the attributes of sound that may be useful for postural purposes. We investigated the postural sway of young, healthy blindfolded subjects in two experiments involving different static auditory environments. In the first experiment, we compared effect on sway in a simple environment built from three static sound sources in two different rooms: a normal vs. an anechoic room. In the second experiment, the same auditory environment was enriched in various ways, including the ambisonics synthesis of a immersive environment, and subjects stood on two different surfaces: a foam vs. a normal surface. The results of both experiments suggest that the spatial cues provided by sound can be used to improve postural stability. The richer the auditory environment, the better this stabilization. We interpret these results by invoking the “spatial hearing map” theory: listeners build their own mental representation of their surrounding environment, which provides them with spatial landmarks that help them to better stabilize.

show abstract

“…Whereas the negative impact of CI on the vestibular system can be attributed to direct injury and inflammation, the mechanisms by which CI might enhance vestibular function have yet to be investigated. Rumalla et al have recently demonstrated enhanced postural stability with hearing aid use . They proposed that this could be explained by the gain in spatial cues conferred by increased auditory stimulation and suggested that a similar benefit might be possible with cochlear implant use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%