-

An FCE is a detailed examination and evaluation that objectively measures the evaluee’s current level of functioning, primarily within the context of the demands of competitive employment, activities of daily living or leisure activities. Measurements of function from an FCE are used to make return-to-work/activity decisions, disability determinations, or to design rehabilitation plans. An FCE measures the ability of an individual to perform functional or work-related tasks and predicts the potential to sustain these tasks over a defined time frame. This supports tertiary prevention by preventing needless disability or activity restrictions.

The FCE is ordered to determine:

• Goals for a client’s rehabilitation and readiness for therapy  discharge
• The client’s return to work duty (i.e. light duty, medium duty)
• Workman’s Compensation settlement
• Disability status
• Ability of a client to meet work demands during pre-employment/post employment.
• Ability to move a case forward and resolve on-going Worker’s Compensation claims.

An FCE is a 4-8 hour long exam ordered by a physician, case manager, insurance carrier, human resource personal, attorneys and others.  It is performed by a specialized physical or occupational therapist. The examination can be performed within our physical therapy clinic or at times on the job site.

The ability of a worker, to safely return to job specific tasks while building on the job endurance, is critical to avoiding reinjury. At Physical Therapy Now our work hardening programs involve providing a highly structured, goal-oriented, individualized intervention program designed to return the patient/client to work. Our Work Hardening programs, which are multidisciplinary in nature, use real or simulated work activities designed to restore physical, behavioral, and vocational functions. Work Hardening addresses the issues of productivity, safety, physical tolerances, and worker behaviors. At Physical Therapy Now, our Work Hardening Examinations and Evaluations involve a multidisciplinary examination including medical history, systems review, selected tests and measures required to identify the patient/client’s individual restoration needs related to physical, functional, behavioral, and vocational status. The initial multidisciplinary evaluation of examination data is used to identify patient/client eligibility for return to work.  We design a plan of care, monitor progress and plan for discharge with a return to work.

Physical therapy must be tailored to the specific demands of individualized companies and to the specific needs of each client, while considering the employees’ specific job demands. Physical Therapy Now utilizes the most specialized manual healing techniques, flexibility and strengthening equipment with the latest exercises.  We also provide the most current physical therapy practices while developing specialized treatments designed for the specific needs of the injured worker. Our full clinic provides an excellent testing center while ensuring a very comfortable atmosphere for our clients. We treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal, neurological, and pain syndromes.