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Aims: to find and describe, through a systematic review, validated assessment tool that evaluate the fall risk in older adults. Methods: MEDLINE, PEDro, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were consulted and no restrictions were applied to the year or country of publication but the searches were limited to studies published in English. Two authors independently identified eligible studies on the basis of inclusion criteria and extracted data. Results: Fifty-five eligible studies were identified, out of which 33 valued risk assessment tools emerged. The tools used the most were the Falls Efficacy Scale International and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale with 15 and 6 studies respectively. Conclusions: The large number of tools reflects a strong tendency to create new instruments, with only a few of them recommended. To reach a gold standard, it would be good to try to validate the existing scales in more countries instead of creating new ones.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a common source of anterior knee pain. While treatment for PFPS may be successful in the short term, long-term results are less promising. The purpose of this study was to record long-term pain and functionality outcomes following rehabilitation in patients affected by PFPS. A prospective cohort study of 44 patients with a diagnosis of PFPS and an activation imbalance between the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscles were enrolled. Patients underwent patellar taping (2 weeks) followed by a rehabilitation program lasting until the end of the third month. Primary outcome measures were pain and the functional level of the patellofemoral joint. Secondary outcome measures were surface electromyographic (sEMG) onset timing of the VMO/VL during seated knee extension and squat and isometric knee extensor muscle strength. Significant differences in all the outcome measures were observed between the affected and unaffected sides before treatment. The pain score significantly decreased both posttreatment (Δ = -4.7; 95% CI = -5.4 to -3.9) and at the 12-month follow-up (Δ = -5.5; 95% CI = -6.1 to -4.8), while the functional level significantly increased both posttreatment (Δ = 24; 95% CI = 18.3 to 30.2) and at the 12-month follow-up (Δ = 26; 95% CI = 21.4 to 30.6). Posttreatment, 35/44 patients (79.5%) and 31/44 patients (70.5%) achieved normal sEMG onset timing of the VMO and VL in the seated knee extension exercise and in the squat exercise, respectively. A short period of patellar taping followed by an exercise program results in long-lasting pain control in PFPS associated with muscular dysfunction.