Hearing impairment is a big issue in the UK. Around 14% of the population is either deaf, or hard of hearing, equating to 3.5 million people. Ignored, it can lead to problems such as prejudice, employment difficulties, social isolation and depression, and yet in many cases it can be successfully treated after consultation with a specialist. Nowadays hearing loss is nowhere near the disability or stigma it once was, and many sufferers can retain their independence and continue doing the activities they enjoy after diagnosis, through the use of innovative digital hearing aids.
These devices, comfortable, almost invisible to the naked eye, and extremely effective, are particularly handy when it comes to sporting pursuits, since they are difficult to dislodge and can be tuned to filter out background noise, enabling the user to focus on their game.
Deafness doesn’t need to prevent anyone from enjoying a career in sport. Take football as a prime example: some of the most famous names in British football had hearing impairments; the Arsenal legend, Cliff Bastin, suffered increasing deafness after a bout of flu; Rodney Marsh enjoyed the most successful periods of his career despite the permanent loss of hearing in his left ear after an on-field collision.
Deaf Football has been long established. There are 25 active deaf football clubs in the UK, according to Great Britain Deaf Football. England Deaf Football celebrated its 10th Anniversary last year – Everton, Fulham, Sunderland, Manchester United, Cardiff City, Colchester and Derby, among others, all have teams who play in regular, competitive leagues. Outside of players involved in specialist deaf football, there have been a few cases of individuals in mainstream football. One such player, Daniel Ailey, has played at a level just below the Football League – while his experiences haven’t always been positive, he’s still managed to achieve playing the game to a very good standard.
Many well-known athletes and sportspeople have hearing loss to some degree or other. Perhaps the most recognised is Lou Ferrigno, the famed bodybuilder who became Mr Universe, and then went on to film success as the Incredible Hulk. At the age of two an infection caused him to lose 80% of his hearing. Other big names include Ashley Fiolek, the motocross racer, Joe Swail, the snooker player and Matt Hamill, the mixed martial artist, none of whom have let their hearing impairments slow them down for a moment – so why should you?
The type of sport you play will affect the type of hearing aid you need. For instance if you’re a rock climber, you’re going to be outdoors a lot and exposed to extremes in temperature, so you will want to look at an inner-ear hearing aid that will be less affected by rain. If you play tennis, then a behind-the-ear hearing aid would be suitable as it can be attached securely to clothing to prevent accidental falls. A lot depends on the level of physical exertion you, and your hearing aid, will be exposed to. For instance if you run then your audiologist might recommend a waterproof device that will be unaffected by sweat, and possibly a drying machine. Wearing a sweatband above the ears can also protect your hearing aid. And were you aware that you can even get hearing aids suitable for swimming?
If you’re partaking in a team sport, or individually but in the presence of others, you must let people know you suffer from hearing difficulties. Not only can they then take this into account, such as speaking louder when it’s windy or when there is crowd noise, and alerting you to any whistles you haven’t heard, they can make sure you’re aware if any danger presents itself.
Modern hearing aids have become increasingly versatile as our life expectancy grows and people look to maintain a healthy lifestyle for longer. Durability and comfort are key, and you’ll find that many products on the market are perfectly geared towards sportspeople. Some even feature MP3 capability, so if you’re running or cycling, you can listen to your favourite tunes at the gym without the need for extra equipment. They’re simple to use, resilient and discreet, and different types of hearing aid are available for every conceivable sport, from the aforementioned swimming, to hunting, shooting, gymnastics or golf. There really is no reason why anyone with a hearing problem cannot continue to play sports today.