Effectiveness of Yoga and Table Tennis Exercises on Static and Dynamic Balance of Deaf Children: the Role of Balance Sensory Receptors and Neural Mechanisms of Open and Closed- Loop Control

In various studies, balance defects have been reported in deaf children compared to normal individuals. Static and dynamic balance tasks and different sports have different dependencies on the sensory systems with different control mechanisms, including open or closed-loop control. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of yoga and table tennis exercises on the static and dynamic balance of deaf children.

This study was a quasi-experimental investigation. The statistical population of the present study was all deaf 12- year- old boys (n=30) in Kermanshah, Iran. Initially, static and dynamic balance and anthropometric characteristics of children were recorded using stork and star balance tests. Then, Subjects were randomly assigned into two groups of open control loop exercises (table tennis) and closed control loop exercises (yoga). Participants in both groups performed their training program for 8 weeks and three sessions per week.

The results showed that open and closed control loop exercises had different effects on the static and dynamic balance of deaf children. Participation in yoga exercises significantly improved static balance with closed eyes compared to participation in table tennis exercises. On the other hand, table tennis exercises had a significant effect on improving the dynamic balance of deaf children compared to yoga exercises.

Yoga exercises (closed control loop exercises) had a greater effect on static balance, whereas table tennis exercises (open control loop exercises) lead to a better dynamic balance in deaf children.