Age-related differences in functional tests to assess the risk of failing in patients with knee pain

In the present cross-sectional study the results of three tests to assess the risk of falling were examined for a correlation with advancing age of the participants. Each of the 188 community-dwelling active participants aged 40 years or older with a history of knee pain performed the Timed Up and Go (TUG), the Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA, "Tinetti Test") and a less established simple test of dynamic balance, the Four Square Step Test (FSST). Age-related differences in performance in the Timed Up and Go and the Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment have been shown in previous studies and are also present in this sample. For the Four Square Step Test an association of test performance and age has been shown for the first time in this study. Further investigation is required to determine the quality of these three tests regarding their ability to assess the risk of falling in patients with knee pain.