Don't let hearing loss put you off sport

Wearing a hearing aid can alter many things in an individual's life but there are certain areas where it doesn't need to have any impact at all.

One such area is sport and physical fitness and a perceived inability to go running, swimming or play any sort of game is a concern that is often broached by people at hearing tests.

However, with modern, well-fitted and waterproof hearing aids those who suffer from hearing loss have nothing logistical holding them back from their favourite sport and keeping fit and healthy.

Take the example of deaf Essex cricketer Nisal Karunaratne, 15, who has been included in England’s Deaf Cricket Lions squad.

Nisal originally came to the attention of Blyth Duncan, the squad's head coach, who spotted his talent and has nurtured him to the level that he is at now.

Deaf cricket has strong regulations when it comes to participants, with players needing to be 50 per cent impaired in their better hearing ear while hearing aids are forbidden on the field of play.

These sorts of rules are there for the spirit of fair play but there is no reason why they should put people, of whatever age, getting involved in deaf sporting activities.

Mr Duncan told the Hearing Times: "We have an IT guru from Essex who videos all of our matches so that we can use it for analysis and training purposes.

"It was him that made the recommendation that we look at Nisal."

Since the Paralympic Games this summer, there have been calls from various charities and organisations to use the event as a springboard to push sports for those with hearing loss.

Sporting facilities such as gyms and clubs have a requirement to provide adequate setups for their users and members so that they can keep fit without inconvenience or discomfort.

If you enjoy your sport and are diagnosed with hearing loss, it's not the end of the world.

You can ask all the questions you like of our audiologists when you call in for your free hearing test.