Musculoskeletal problems in blind children.

At a regional school for the blind, 157 children were examined for musculoskeletal abnormalities. The incidence of scoliosis was 9.5 per cent; of foot deformity, 53.5 percent; and of ligament laxity, 25 per cent. Thirty-six children (23 per cent) had evidence of spastic, flaccid, or athetoid cerebral palsy or other disorders of the central nervous system. The orthopaedist should evaluate blind children carefully and repeatedly for evidence of occult cerebral palsy and progressive deformity of the spine or foot.