Discussion
This study was designed to examine the effects of an 8-week PT and CST on gait parameters of deaf adolescents. The findings of this study indicated that the PT group improved all gait parameters at post-training intervention. The results also demonstrated that 8 weeks of CST improved some gait parameters such as gait speed and cadence but not other parameters such as stride length, stride time, stance time, and swing time. In this study, two digital cameras and Kinovea software were used to analyze each of the gait parameters as it is asserted in the literature to be a reliable software for measuring gait parametersThe results of the present study showed a significant difference between of deaf adolescents and typically developing adolescents in terms of gait parameters in the pre-test. Uysal et al.Consistent with the present study, which showed that 8-week PT improves the gait parameters of deaf adolescents, the results of previous studies have shown that balance training or PT has a positive effect on the gait parametersPT exercises have led to improved and more organized functions of the mechanoreceptors, thus facilitating and improving the efficiency of proprioceptorsThe results of the present study also showed that the PT group had a larger effect on the gait parameters of deaf adolescents compared with the CST group. Also, all gait parameters improved in the PT group, while some gait parameters changed in the CST group. This showed that PT had a greater effect on the gait parameters among deaf adolescents. By increasing the mechanoreceptors and neuromuscular coordinationZhang et al.