An inpatient rehabilitation programme based on balance task-specific training is useful in improving physical function, pain, ADL and quality of life in older patients after hip fracture.

The Italian NDI and NPDS were equally sensitive in detecting clinical changes in subjects with chronic NP undergoing rehabilitation. We recommend taking the MICs into account when assessing patient improvement or planning studies in this clinical context.

Mobile health apps are growing constantly in number and popularity. Some mobile apps are used for clinical assessment, and consequently need to be verified and validated appropriately, along with the mobile platform, to ensure their safe and effective operation. We review the current literature on available smartphone goniometric apps validated for joint angle measurement and their main psychometric characteristics. A literature search of Medline and Scopus databases was performed to select papers on smartphone commercial apps validated for joint angle measurement and relevant to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. A platform search verified whether the selected apps were still available for download. The literature search identified 126 papers in Medline and 113 in Scopus, 49 of which were selected. They dealt with the validation of 23 apps, eight of which were no longer available and therefore excluded from the review. Psychometric characteristics of the selected apps were robust, but heterogeneity of the studies did not enable comparisons between apps to identify the most valid one. The increase in the number of apps and validation studies highlights the growing interest in this new approach for measuring body angles. Given the precarious commercial availability of some apps, when research is the goal, it is advisable to select apps with the longest durability. A need continues to exist for validation studies on available apps focused on goniometric measurement in gait or during performance of therapeutic exercises in neurological and orthopedic disorders.

The Trunk Impairment Scale was successfully translated into Italian and proved to be reliable, valid, and responsive. Its use is recommended for clinical and research purposes. Implications for Rehabilitation Trunk control is an essential part of balance and postural control, constituting an important prerequisite for daily activities and function. The TIS administered in subjects with subacute and chronic stroke was reliable, valid and responsive. The TIS is expected to help clinicians and researchers by identifying key functional processes related to disability in people with subacute and chronic stroke.

Purpose: To develop and validate NeckPix©, a multi-image instrument for assessing daily activities in the context of pain-related fear, in order to allow its use in patients with chronic neck pain (NP). Methods: The measure was developed by means of item generation followed by reduction/selection. The psychometric testing included exploratory factor analysis; content validity by investigating clarity, specificity, appropriateness for the target population, relevance and completeness; reliability by internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and test–retest stability (intra-class coefficient correlation, ICC); and construct validity by comparing NeckPix with the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS), the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and a Numerical Rating Scale of pain intensity (NRS) (Pearson’s correlation). Results: The measure, which includes ten images used to assess everyday activities in the context of pain-related fear, was administered to 118 subjects with chronic non-specific NP, and proved to be acceptable and feasible. Factor analysis revealed a one-factor solution (which explained 71.12 % of variance). The content of the images was considered adequate, appropriate for the target population, comprehensive, and relevant for evaluating activity-related kinesiophobia. The instrument’s internal consistency was good (α = 0.954), as was its test–retest stability (ICC 0.979). Construct validity demonstrated a close correlation with the TSK (r = 0.759), and moderate correlations with the PCS (r = 0.583), the NDI (r = 0.520), and a NRS (r = 0.455). Conclusion: NeckPix©, which was successfully developed following international recommendations, proved to have a good factorial structure and satisfactory psychometric properties. Its use is recommended for research purpose