Vibratory Response in Congenital Scoliosis

Vibratory studies were performed on 10 adolescent subjects being followed for congenital scoliosis. The average age was 12 years 4 months and the average curve was 32 degrees. Twenty-one age-matched controls underwent identical studies. Threshold to detection of vibratory stimuli in the upper and lower extremities was quantified. Results showed that the scoliotic subjects were consistently less sensitive than the controls in the lower but not the upper extremity. The occurrence of hyposensitivity in only the lower extremity of persons with congenital scoliosis implies that the sensory deficit is secondary to the spinal deformity itself rather than a primary etiologic factor.