Frequency Domain Analysis of Gait Ground Reaction Forces in Deaf and Hearing Children

The link between frequency content of gait ground reaction forces and hearing loss is not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of hearing loss on gait ground reaction force frequency content. Thirty male children were equally divided into a healthy group and a group with hearing loss problems (Deaf group). Frequency content of ground reaction forces were analyzed during barefoot walking. Independent samples t-test was used for between group comparisons. The significance level was set at p<0.05 for all analyses. The results indicated that hearing loss was associated with increased anterior-posterior frequency band amplitude in right limb (by 53%; p=0.020) and number of anterior-posterior essential harmonics in left limb (by 37%; p=0.000). Similar vertical and medio-lateral frequency content were observed in both groups (p>0.05). The results reveal that gait ground reaction force frequency content in deaf children may have clinical values for rehabilitation of these subjects.