1987 Volume 25 Issue 2 Pages 41-53
Right palms of 10 healthy subjects were exposed to vibration of 5 minutes' duration and a series of skin temperature changes was measured from both middle fingers and both great toes, with a view to clarifying the remote effect of hand-transmitted vibration on vasoconstrictor tone in exposed and unexposed digits. While the skin temperature changes varied widely from subject to subject, significant skin temperature decreases occurred in the presence of the vibratory load. In addition, a positive correlation of significance was demonstrated in skin temperature decrease between the vibration-exposed fingers and each of the other unexposed three digits. It was hence concluded that local vibratory application yielded vasoconstriction in the remote digits as well as in the neighbouring region, and it was considered that the somatosympathetic reflex mechanism probably contributed to this response.
