Effect of rock climbing on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential, balance, body composition, and functional index in congenitally blind and sighted girls

Background and Aim: Most sighted children spontaneously maintain an adequate degree of physical fitness during the course of normal dai-ly activities. However, blind people are reported to be significantly below the physical fitness norms. The purpose of this study was to inves-tigate the effect of eight weeks of rock climbing on cervical vestibular evoked myogenic poten-tial (cVEMP), balance, body composition, and functional index in congenitally blind and sigh-ted female students. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 10 sighted and 10 blind girls aged 7-12 years were trained rock climbing for eight weeks with three sessions per week, and each session spanned 30 to 45 minutes. cVEMP latencies, dynamic/static balance, right-hand power, leg strength, and body fat percentage were recorded before and after training. Results: Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential in both blind and sighted groups did not change significantly. Dynamic balance, static balance, right-hand power, and leg stren-gth increased significantly in both the groups (p 0.05), whereas the body fat percentage significantly decreased in both groups. Conclusion: Eight weeks of rock climbing trai-ning led to a decrease in body fat percentage and a significant increase in the functional index in sighted and blind children. This suggests that rock climbing practice can be used as a proper workout protocol for maintaining health and increasing the balance and physical strength of these individuals.