Research

The science behind ScolioTrack

ScolioTrack measures the Angle of Trunk Rotation (ATR) — the same method clinicians use with a handheld scoliometer to screen and monitor scoliosis. Below is a plain-language summary of the peer-reviewed evidence supporting this approach, followed by the full reference list.

What ScolioTrack is: a screening and home-monitoring aid built on the clinically validated scoliometer / ATR method. It supports conversations with your healthcare provider and tracking between visits. It does not diagnose scoliosis, does not measure the Cobb angle from an X-ray, and is not a substitute for professional medical assessment or radiographs when those are clinically indicated.

1. Smartphone scoliometer apps measure trunk rotation accurately

A phone’s built-in sensors can measure the Angle of Trunk Rotation as reliably as the physical scoliometer used in clinics.
Balg F, et al. J Pediatr Orthop. 2014;34(8):774–9. Level I validation.

A smartphone scoliometer app agreed with the physical scoliometer to within 0.4° (ICC 0.947); valid for clinical use even without an adapter. DOI

Driscoll M, et al. Scoliosis. 2014;9:10.

A parent presenting with the patient could take reliable ATR readings (ICC 0.91), close to a spine surgeon using a scoliometer — supporting at-home monitoring. DOI

Navarro IJRL, et al. (ISICO, Milan). Sensors (Basel). 2026;26(7):2099.

App-based ATR during the Adams forward-bend test showed very high correlation with the scoliometer and minimal bias. DOI

2. The scoliometer / ATR method is an established screening tool

Decades of research validate the scoliometer for screening scoliosis and tracking trunk rotation over time.
Amendt LE, et al. Phys Ther. 1990;70(2):108–17.

Established the scoliometer’s high reproducibility (r = 0.86–0.97) as a screening device — while noting readings alone are not sufficient for diagnosis. DOI

Coelho DM, et al. Braz J Phys Ther. 2013;17(2):179–84.

Good correlation with radiographic Cobb angle (r = 0.7) and 87% sensitivity at a 5° threshold; notes patients may face ~25 radiographs over follow-up. DOI

3. Parents and patients can monitor at home

Validated home screening lets families track changes between clinic visits and catch progression earlier.
Yılmaz HG, et al. Asian Spine J. 2023;17(4):656–65.

A parent-administered remote screening test across 865 children was 94.97% accurate, 83.51% sensitive and 98.87% specific. DOI

Bottino L, et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(8):5520.

Peer-reviewed review of scoliosis apps (assessing ScolioTrack) concluding app tools reduce in-person visits and enable remote progression tracking. DOI

4. Why reducing unnecessary X-rays matters

Children are more sensitive to ionizing radiation; minimizing avoidable radiographs is a recognized clinical goal.
Ilharreborde B, et al. Eur Spine J. 2015;25(2):526–31.

States conventional radiographs have been associated with a 1–2% increased lifetime cancer risk in children, supporting the ALARA principle and radiation-free monitoring between necessary scans. DOI

5. The honest limits

We include this because clinicians trust evidence that acknowledges its boundaries.

Nadler EB, et al. (SickKids, Toronto). Bone Jt Open. 2026;7(4):473–81.

A smartphone surface-topography app showed only moderate-to-poor agreement with X-ray for curve magnitude and is not yet a replacement for radiographs and in-person evaluation — while showing clear potential as a screening aid. Home apps complement, not replace, clinical care. DOI

Li H, et al. J Med Internet Res. 2024;26:e50631.

An AI app auto-measured the Cobb angle within ~2° of the PACS reference — adjacent technology worth tracking. DOI

References and Research Papers

  1. Adobor RD, Riise RB, Sorensen R, Kibsgard TJ, Steen H, Brox JI (2012) Scoliosis detection, patient characteristics, referral patterns and treatment in the absence of a screening program in Norway. Scoliosis 7(1):18. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-7161-7-18
    Article,  PubMed,  PubMed Central,  Google Scholar.
  2. Ali Fazal M, Edgar M (2006) Detection of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Acta OrthopBelg 72(2):184–186 PubMed Google Scholar
  3. Weinstein SL, Dolan LA, Wright JG, Dobbs MB (2013) Effects of bracing in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. N Engl J Med 369(16):1512–1521 CAS,  Article Google Scholar
  4. Negrini S, Minozzi S, Bettany-Saltikov J, Chockalingam N, Grivas TB, Kotwicki T, Maruyama T, Romano M, Zaina F (2015) Braces for idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006850.pub3
    Article,  PubMed,  Google Scholar
  5. Agabegi SS, Kazemi N, Sturm PF, Mehlman CT (2015) Natural history of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in skeletally mature patients: a critical review. J Am AcadOrthop Surg 23(12):714–723 Article,  Google Scholar
  6. Negrini S, Donzelli S, Aulisa AG, Czaprowski D, Schreiber S, de Mauroy JC, Diers H, Grivas TB, Knott P, Kotwicki T, Lebel A, Marti C, Maruyama T, O’Brien J, Price N, Parent E, Rigo M, Romano M, Stikeleather L, Wynne J, Zaina F (2018) 2016 SOSORT guidelines: orthopaedic and rehabilitation treatment of idiopathic scoliosis during growth. Scoliosis Spinal Disord 13:3 Article,  Google Scholar
  7. Andermann A, Blancquaert I, Beauchamp S, Dery V (2008) Revisiting Wilson and Jungner in the genomic age: a review of screening criteria over the past 40 years. Bull World Health Organ 86(4):317–319 Article,  Google Scholar 
  8. Labelle H, Richards SB, De Kleuver M, Grivas TB, Luk KD, Wong HK, Thometz J, Beausejour M, Turgeon I, Fong DY (2013) Screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: an information statement by the scoliosis research society international task force. Scoliosis 8:17 Article,  Google Scholar
  9. Bunnell WP (1984) An objective criterion for scoliosis screening. J Bone Joint Surg Am 66(9):1381–1387 CAS,  Article,   Google Scholar 
  10. Bunge EM, Juttmann RE, van Biezen FC, Creemers H, Hazebroek-Kampschreur AA, Luttmer BC, Wiegersma PA, de Koning HJ (2008) Netherlands Evaluation Study on Screening for Scoliosis G Estimating the effectiveness of screening for scoliosis: a case-control study. Pediatrics 121(1):9–14 Article,  Google Scholar
  11. Deurloo JA, Verkerk PH (2015) To screen or not to screen for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? A review of the literature. Public Health 129(9):1267–1272 CAS,  Article,  Google Scholar
  12. Qiao J, Xu L, Zhu Z, Zhu F, Liu Z, Qian B, Qiu Y (2014) Inter- and intraobserver reliability assessment of the axial trunk rotation: manual versus smartphone-aided measurement tools. BMC MusculoskeletDisord 15:343 Article,  Google Scholar
  13. Naziri Q, Detolla J, Hayes W, Burekhovich S, Merola A, Akamnanu C, Paulino CB (2018) A systematic review of all smart phone applications specifically aimed for use as a scoliosis screening tool. J Long Term Eff Med Implants 28(1):25–30 Article,  Google Scholar
  14. Franko OI, Bray C, Newton PO (2012) Validation of a scoliometer smartphone app to assess scoliosis. J PediatrOrthop 32(8):e72–e75 Article, Google Scholar 
  15. Prowse A, Pope R, Gerdhem P, Abbott A (2016) Reliability and validity of inexpensive and easily administered anthropometric clinical evaluation methods of postural asymmetry measurement in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review. Eur Spine J 25(2):450–466 Article,  Google Scholar
  16. Balg F, Juteau M, Theoret C, Svotelis A, Grenier G (2014) Validity and reliability of the iPhone to measure rib hump in scoliosis. J PediatrOrthop 34(8):774–779 Article,  Google Scholar
  17. Driscoll M, Fortier-Tougas C, Labelle H, Parent S, Mac-Thiong JM (2014) Evaluation of an apparatus to be combined with a smartphone for the early detection of spinal deformities. Scoliosis 9:10 Article,  Google Scholar
  18. Mokkink LB, Terwee CB, Patrick DL, Alonso J, Stratford PW, Knol DL, Bouter LM, de Vet HC (2010) The COSMIN checklist for assessing the methodological quality of studies on measurement properties of health status measurement instruments: an international Delphi study. Qual Life Res 19(4):539–549 Article,  Google Scholar 
  19. De Vet HCW, Terwee CB, Mokkink LB, Knol DL (2011) Measurement in medicine practical guides to biostatustucs and epidemiology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Book,  Google Scholar
  20. Izatt MT, Bateman GR, Adam CJ (2012) Evaluation of the iPhone with an acrylic sleeve versus the Scoliometer for rib hump measurement in scoliosis. Scoliosis 7(1):14 Article,  Google Scholar
  21. Sapkas G, Papagelopoulos PJ, Kateros K, Koundis GL, Boscainos PJ, Koukou UI, Katonis P (2003) Prediction of Cobb angle in idiopathic adolescent scoliosis. Clin OrthopRelat Res 411:32–39 Article,  Google Scholar
  22. Amendt LE, Ause-Ellias KL, Eybers JL, Wadsworth CT, Nielsen DH, Weinstein SL (1990) Validity and reliability testing of the Scoliometer. Phys Ther 70(2):108–117 CAS,  Article, Google Scholar
  23. Pearsall DJ, Reid JG, Hedden DM (1992) Comparison of three noninvasive methods for measuring scoliosis. Phys Ther 72(9):648–657 CAS,  Article,  Google Scholar
  24. Coelho DM, Bonagamba GH, Oliveira AS (2013) Scoliometer measurements of patients with idiopathic scoliosis. Braz J Phys Ther 17(2):179–184. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-35552012005000081, Article,  PubMed,  Google Scholar 
  25. Bunnell WP (1993) Outcome of spinal screening. Spine 18(12):1572–1580 CAS,  Article,  Google Scholar
  26. Navarro IJRL, Jacob L, Masetto K, et al. (2026) Validation and reproducibility of an app for continuous measurement as an assessment tool for idiopathic scoliosis. Sensors (Basel) 26(7):2099. DOI
  27. Yılmaz HG, Büyükaslan A, Kuşvuran A, et al. (2023) A new clinical tool for scoliosis risk analysis: Scoliosis Tele-Screening Test. Asian Spine J 17(4):656–665. DOI
  28. Nadler EB, Lebel DE, Kim DJ, Camp M, Dermott JA (2026) 3D topographic acquisitions to predict spinal curvature in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a prospective validation study. Bone Jt Open 7(4):473–481. DOI
  29. Li H, Qian C, Yan W, et al. (2024) Use of artificial intelligence in Cobb angle measurement for scoliosis: retrospective reliability and accuracy study of a mobile app. J Med Internet Res 26:e50631. DOI
  30. Bottino L, Settino M, Promenzio L, Cannataro M (2023) Scoliosis management through apps and software tools. Int J Environ Res Public Health 20(8):5520. DOI
  31. Ilharreborde B, Ferrero E, Alison M, Mazda K (2015) EOS microdose protocol for the radiological follow-up of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Eur Spine J 25(2):526–531. DOI