Balance and Sound Conditions in Adults with Bilateral Cochlear Implants

PURPOSE: To determine if (1) balance is impaired in patients with bilateral cochlear implants compared to healthy controls and (2) the presence of sound, non-speech, or speech affects standing balance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four patients with bilateral cochlear implants were tested on three balance conditions on Romberg tests on medium-density compliant foam with eyes closed, with head stationary or moving in yaw or pitch, under 5 sound conditions: no sound, ambient background noise, pink noise, foreign language, English language. RESULTS: Dependent measures were duration of standing and kinematics. Three of four subjects performed well with head still and no sound, background noise, or pink noise. All subjects performed poorly during the head movement conditions when hearing either foreign-language or English words. Subjects could not perform enough head movements during yaw and pitch conditions for accurate kinematic measurements. CONCLUSION: The no-sound condition did not influence standing balance skills. The addition of ambient or pink noise also did not affect their balance. However, when subjects were distracted by paying attention to words, regardless whether or not they understood the words, standing balance skills deteriorated. Thus, distracted attention in these patients leads to impaired balance, which may impair functional motor skills.