Almost 3 million nonfatal work-related injuries were recorded in 2014. Workers’ compensation is insurance provided by employers that allow their employees access to medical care, including rehabilitation, following a work-related injury. The benefits may also include lost wages and other services that help them prepare for their return to work. However, if you’re like most people, the goal is going back to work after injury. With physical and occupational therapy, we can help you perform your job again.
Stephanie Nguyen, a physical therapist at Spooner Physical Therapy Glendale, treats various injuries, of all parts of the body, caused by work-related accidents. A portion of Stephanie’s work involves performing functional capacity evaluations (FCEs). An FCE is a test that is used to determine what a client is physically capable of doing, for how long, and which portions of their job duties they may be able to complete with a minimal risk of injury.
Evaluating The Injury
“With workers’ compensation patients we are more specific in our exercise program and our plan of care to make sure that we are mimicking the resources and the activities that they perform on a daily basis,” Stephanie states. “We want to make sure they are able to return to the work duties they are used to performing.”
During the rehabilitation process, physical therapists will incorporate specific exercises that simulate the same movements a worker has on the job. For example, a warehouse worker spends their day bending and lifting. The plan of care will focus on exercises to maximize their range of motion and strength based on their job requirements. That’s the trick to going back to work after injury.
Some employers utilize FCEs as a safety precaution for new hires to confirm there are no physical limitations prior to beginning a new job, whereas others may require an FCE to help determine a client’s readiness for return to work following rehabilitation. Another use for an FCE is to help determine a person’s disability status after enduring an injury that prevents them from returning to work.
“These evaluations are a full-body assessment that starts out with general range of motion, strength testing, movement quality, objective and subjective measurements” Stephanie states. “The tests are researched and standardized so each test can stand alone in an assessment.”
Going Back to Work After Injury
After collecting the client’s general information, he or she will go through a series of tests depending on the injury and reason for the evaluation. The goal of the testing is to determine a client’s maximum capacity of strength, movement, and endurance to ultimately find a range that can be safely applied to their specific job duties.
The tests typically take three to six hours to complete, depending upon the client’s injury and status, and the employer’s requirements. Spooner Physical Therapy Glendale blocks every Thursday afternoon to dedicate time for clients seeking an FCE, ensuring better availability and accessibility for services. After a one-on-one session with a therapist, the results are documented and delivered to the employer.
Spooner’s primary goal is to deliver a patient experience that ensures every client receives the best care while pursuing their goals of rehabilitation. As workers’ compensation patients are determined to get back to work, the therapists at Spooner PT dedicate the time for every client to receive the maximum rehabilitation before returning to work through their plan of care, full-body evaluations and receiving at-home exercise program.
Work-related injuries are only a portion of the conditions that physical and occupational therapists see at Spooner Physical Therapy. According to Stephanie, “We can treat everything, there is not a specific condition that our patients have to succumb to in order to be treated for physical therapy. An FCE proves to our clients they are capable of going back to work after injury, and gives their employer the confidence that they are able to do what they want to do.”
Learn more about Work Injury Rehabilitation at Spooner Physical Therapy. Ready to schedule an appointment? Click Here to schedule an appointment or complimentary movement screen with a Spooner physical therapist at one of our locations throughout the valley.