Abstract

Background. The purpose of the study was to compare the alignment of the lower limbs and feet and the foot arch in deaf and hearing-impaired children vs. normal-hearing children of the same age. Material and methods. The study enrolled 63 girls and 90 boys aged 8-13 years with hearing dysfunction living in specialized school & care centres in Katowice and Lubliniec. Most of the participants were deaf children with hearing loss above 80 dB. A control group included 162 girls and 140 boys from three Silesian primary schools. The position of the lower limbs and feet was examined visually and the foot arch was evaluated with a photogrammetric device. Computer analysis of foot imprints provided such parameters as foot length and width, length-width index, KY index, and α, β, γ and Clarke’s (Cl) angles.Results. Lower limb defects and tarsus valgus were more frequent among the children with hearing dysfunction. These differences were statistically significant in some groups. In children from the control group, right feet were often slightly longer than left feet, and in deaf children left feet were usually longer. Foot arch defects, including both flat foot / reduced arch as well as excessive foot arch, occurred more frequently in deaf children, but the differences were not statistically significant.Conclusions. Deaf and hearing-impaired children presented with smaller feet and greater length and width discrepancies than normal-hearing controls, which may indicate differences in their physical development. There were no statistically significant differences with respect to foot arch indices compared to normal-hearing children. Thus, it can be assumed that hearing loss does not affect the foot arch.

Key words:

defects of lower limbs, defects of feet, deaf and hearing-impaired children