The goal of rehabilitation therapy is to help patients return to normal activities following an injury or illness.
Part of the process includes a Functional Capacity Evaluation, where a therapist and rehabilitation medicine physician determine whether a patient can safely return to work.
Patients can expect to spend about four hours on the test and will perform a variety of tasks related to general function as well as job-specific needs.
An injury or illness can have a lasting effect on strength and function, so part of the rehabilitation process involves determining when a patient can safely return to work and other activities.
During National Rehab Week, Regional One Health is educating patients about the many services our rehabilitation therapists offer. Functional Capacity Evaluations can determine when patients can resume work and other activities.
An FCE is an evaluation to determine an individual’s ability to go back to the workplace. For some patients, it involves determining if they can go back to a specific job. For others, it’s part of accessing disability benefits if they’re unable to work.
Patients are typically referred by their primary care physician. When a therapists receives a referral, they gather information about the patient’s injury or illness and overall health and then contacts them to let them know what to expect.
Patients should expect the evaluation to take about four hours, since the goal is to gauge whether they can perform tasks associated with an 8-hour workday. They should wear comfortable clothes so they’re able to perform physical tasks.
Therapists start the evaluation by asking the patient about their prior work experience, how long ago and why they stopped working, their diagnosis, their pain level and their general medical history.
They demonstrate tasks the patient will perform, including sitting, standing, walking, balancing, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling, as well as cognitive skills, endurance, and fine motor skills like in-hand manipulation.
They encourage patients to give their full effort and address their concerns about injury or discomfort.
The evaluation itself varies based on a patient’s condition and goals.
Some patients with chronic conditions like spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and stroke might not be able to return to work and could require disability benefits. Therapists assess general strength and mobility, fine motor skills and cognition through a series of tasks.
A Functional Capacity Evaluation looks at both general strength and mobility as well as job-specific tasks like lifting, carrying objects and climbing stairs.
When a patient is looking to return to work after an injury, their Functional Capacity Evaluation is tailored to their specific job.
Job-specific evaluations usually occur after the patient has been doing physical, occupational and speech therapy for some time and has reached a baseline of function.
Our therapists work closely with a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician to determine if a patient can safely resume work. Because PMR Physicians have additional expertise in assessing overall strength, endurance and functionality, they can offer crucial insight into what is safe for the patient in terms of activities.
While some patients are cleared to work, others might need more rehabilitation therapy or what’s known as “work hardening,” where therapists work specifically on job-related skills.