A Family of Chiropractic Care for over 29 years
The ScoliScore™ Test is the first and only test proven to give doctors insight into the possible progression of AIS
Scoliosis is a condition that causes an abnormal curvature of the spine that may lead to chronic back pain, reduced respiratory function or diminished self-esteem. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common form of the condition and affects children mostly between the ages of 10 and 15.
Most scoliosis is mild or moderate and generally does not require surgical treatment. However, the condition can progress in one-in-four patients, requiring treatment such as chiropractic care, physical therapy, back bracing, and for some, spinal fusion surgery.
What is Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis?
Scoliosis (sko-lee-O-sis) occurs when the spine twists and develops an S- or C-shaped sideways curve. Of every 1,000 children, 3 to 5 develop abnormal spinal curves large enough to require treatment. Typically, scoliosis that occurs between the ages of 9 and 13, whose cause is unknown, is called adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, or AIS. This is the most common type of scoliosis in adolescents, occurring more often in girls than in boys.
What causes Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis?
The cause of AIS is largely unknown, however, it has been shown to run in families. It is not caused by anything that the child or the child's parents did, or did not do. Diet, exercise, poor posture, or carrying a backpack do not cause AIS. In fact, AIS often develops in children who are otherwise healthy. Studies have shown that there may be a genetic link to the development and progression of scoliosis. Now there is a painless test that your child's doctor can perform which may help you better understand whether or not your child's AIS might progress. AIS rarely causes pain. In fact, AIS often goes undiagnosed until the curve has progressed and is more visibly noticeable. Treatment options for AIS typically vary and depend on many factors including your child's age and curve size. While the vast majority of AIS patients require nothing more than routine doctor's appointments and x-rays to monitor their curve, some physicians will recommend chiropractic manipulation, bracing or even surgery as appropriate treatment options for curves that progress significantly. Your child's doctor can administer a simple and pain-free test, the ScoliScore™ Test, to help determine whether your child's AIS might progress. Currently, doctors are uncertain whether a child’s curve may progress to the point of needing surgery. The current standard of care includes serial office visits and x-rays until the child reaches skeletal maturity, which usually takes years. With the ScoliScore™ Test, families may now have significant information, providing them with more insight than before, regarding the likelihood of AIS progression. This information may help relieve some of the uncertainty and anxiety associated with this disease.
What are the symptoms of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
What are the treatment options?
How does testing my child's DNA predict the likelihood of curve progression?
Due to recent advances in technology, it is now evident that there is a strong link between a child’s genes and the risk of AIS progression. By decoding the information that DNA holds about AIS progression, doctors and families can know sooner than ever before what steps to take and what the future may hold.
- DNA is the most stable molecule known and can be found in easily obtainable tissues such as blood, hair, skin, and saliva.
- Doctors fist suspected a genetic link to AIS more than 40 years ago.
- 97% of patients with AIS have connectedness to other families with AIS, demonstrating strong genetic linkage.
- Due to genetic research it is now possible to develop a faster and more precise way to predict the likelihood of AIS curve progression.
How does the ScoliScore™ Test work?
Sample collection for AIS progression is quick, and can take place right in the doctor's office. Your child will be asked to provide a saliva sample, which will then by sent for analysis at a lab. From your child's saliva, the lab will analyze his/her DNA for markers associated with the likelihood for scoliosis progression. The ScoliScore™ Test has the ability to distinguish between patients who are likely to progress to a severe curve, and those who might not. The test performed on your child's saliva is strictly confidential, and only your child's doctor will receive the results. Clinical studies, conducted over several years, have verified that the ScoliScore™ Test provides accurate information so you and your child's doctor can make informed decisions.
What will testing for AIS tell my child's doctor and me?
The ScoliScore™ Test may help to reduce the uncertainty and concern for parents and their children about the likelihood of AIS curve progression. With the results of the ScoliScore™ Test, combined with other factors, your child's doctor will be better able to recommend the appropriate treatment and follow up, if any treatment is necessary at all.
Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)
What is the ScoliScore™ Test
How the ScoliScore™ Test Works
Do you have questions about scoliosis screening or administering the ScoliScore™ AIS Prognostic Test? Please call us, we will be happy to assist you.
Schumacher Chiropractic Clinics, P.A.
|
|
|
Home | Services | Products | Hopkins | St Paul | Patients | ScoliScore | Spine | Contact Hopkins | Contact St Paul | Disclaimer & Privacy | Videos | Help | Sitemap |
View Site in Mobile
The SCOLISCORE AIS Prognostic Test was designed and validated by Axial Biotech, Inc. and is co-marketed and sold by both DePuy Spine, Inc. and Smith & Nephew, Inc.
Indications for Use: The SCOLISCORE™ AIS Prognostic Test is intended for in vitro use only. The SCOLISCORE Test is indicated for Caucasian, adolescent males and females between the ages of 9-13 years with a mild curve (Cobb angle 10-25°). This test utilizes DNA extracted from a saliva specimen in a polymerase chain reaction to detect the genotypes for genetic markers found in clinical trials to be associated with severe curve progression in patients diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS). Results from the SCOLISCORE Test are intended for use as an adjunct to existing clinical and radiologic information to determine the risk of curve progression. For additional information regarding indications for use, please see the SCOLISCORE Test package insert.
Caution: The SCOLISCORE™ Test is designed to accurately predict the likelihood of severe curve progression for patients diagnosed with Mild AIS and who received a SCOLISCORE in the Low Risk Classification (1- 50). Therefore, care should be exercised when utilizing the risk of progression for patients in the Intermediate Risk (51 � 179) and High Risk Classifications (180 � 200). The SCOLISCORE Test information should always be interpreted with all other clinical factors when determining the appropriate clinical treatment and care of patients. Under Federal law, this test may only be performed on the order of a physician and its results may only be reported to the ordering physician.