An apparatus for testing or screening of peripheral neuropathies at a skin site of a subject comprising: vibration generating means having a contact element for positioning at said skin site and being adapted to vibrate at specific frequencies, frequency generating means connected to said vibration generating for supplying a known discrete frequency signal to said vibration generating means, control circuit means adapted to modify an amplitude of said known discrete frequency signal in an ascending and descending mode, switch means actuable by said subject to provide response signals to said control circuit means as a response to an ascending and a descending amplitude of said known frequency signal, said control circuit means having processing means for obtaining a mean threshold signal value from said response signals; wherein said vibration generating means is an electrodynamic vibrator adapted to move the contact element when a current is applied to it; and said frequency generating means is a microcomputer system comprising interface electronics and adapted to drive the electrodynamic vibrator; and wherein the apparatus further comprises contact element position determination means comprising a transmitter and a detector wherein the output signal from the detector depends on the spatial position of the contact element; and means for controlling and monitoring the static and dynamic contact force between said skin site and said vibrating generating means in such a manner that said contact force is within a predefined range; characterised in that said means for controlling and monitoring the static and dynamic contact force are implemented by means of the microcomputer system being configured: to determine an offset between the detected spatial position of the contact element due to the contact force on said contact element and a predefined reference position corresponding to the predefined range for the contact force; and to automatically adjust a DC-current (ic) overlaid to the signal driving the electrodynamic vibrator, such that it produces an opposing probe force (Fc) so that a zero offset is achieved for the spatial position. vibration generating means having a contact element for positioning at said skin site and being adapted to vibrate at specific frequencies, frequency generating means connected to said vibration generating for supplying a known discrete frequency signal to said vibration generating means, control circuit means adapted to modify an amplitude of said known discrete frequency signal in an ascending and descending mode, switch means actuable by said subject to provide response signals to said control circuit means as a response to an ascending and a descending amplitude of said known frequency signal, said control circuit means having processing means for obtaining a mean threshold signal value from said response signals; wherein said vibration generating means is an electrodynamic vibrator adapted to move the contact element when a current is applied to it; and said frequency generating means is a microcomputer system comprising interface electronics and adapted to drive the electrodynamic vibrator; and wherein the apparatus further comprises contact element position determination means comprising a transmitter and a detector wherein the output signal from the detector depends on the spatial position of the contact element; and means for controlling and monitoring the static and dynamic contact force between said skin site and said vibrating generating means in such a manner that said contact force is within a predefined range; characterised in that said means for controlling and monitoring the static and dynamic contact force are implemented by means of the microcomputer system being configured: to determine an offset between the detected spatial position of the contact element due to the contact force on said contact element and a predefined reference position corresponding to the predefined range for the contact force; and to automatically adjust a DC-current (ic) overlaid to the signal driving the electrodynamic vibrator, such that it produces an opposing probe force (Fc) so that a zero offset is achieved for the spatial position. to determine an offset between the detected spatial position of the contact element due to the contact force on said contact element and a predefined reference position corresponding to the predefined range for the contact force; and to automatically adjust a DC-current (ic) overlaid to the signal driving the electrodynamic vibrator, such that it produces an opposing probe force (Fc) so that a zero offset is achieved for the spatial position.