Background and purpose: People who are deaf have poorer balance due to defects in vestibular system, which is one of the major systems of the human balance control.
Materials and methods: A pretest-posttest semi-experimental study was designed with pretest-posttest and control group. Thirty two deaf students were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group did Pilates exercises for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week. Balance tests, including the BESS test, TUG test, 10 meters walking test and step length measurement were done before and after the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Dependent t-test and covariance analysis (ANCOVA) were run at P<0.05.
Results: Covariance analysis showed significant differences between experimental and control groups at posttest in BESS, TUG, step length, and walking speed tests.
Conclusion: Pilates exercises improved the static and dynamic balance, walking speed and step length in deaf students.
 

Keywords: Pilates exercises, deafness, balance, kinematic parameters

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