WORK RELATED INJURIES
We provide specialized physical therapy, Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs), and work conditioning programs to help injured workers recover safely, restore function, and confidently return to the demands of their job.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
If you’ve been injured on the job, physical therapy can play a key role in your recovery. We treat a wide range of work-related injuries—from repetitive strain and lifting injuries to slips, falls, and post-surgical rehabilitation. Our goal is to reduce pain, restore function, and help you return to work when you're ready to perform at your best. We work closely with physicians, case managers, and employers to ensure clear communication and a smooth recovery process.
Functional CAPACITY EVALUATION
A Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a comprehensive assessment that measures an individual’s physical abilities and limitations in a controlled, safe environment. Its primary purpose is to determine how well a person can perform work-related tasks and whether they are ready to return to work, require accommodations, or qualify for disability.
At THEORY Physical Therapy, our FCEs are carefully designed to match a client’s functional abilities with the essential physical demands of their job. This evaluation is also used to establish baseline abilities for disability determinations. We assess consistency of effort and the reliability of reported pain through over 70 validated criteria—ensuring objective, defensible results. The FCE method we use is backed by research and has consistently held up in court, making it a trusted tool in both clinical and legal settings.
Who Can Benefit From an FCE?
- Someone who has been injured on the job to determine his or her ability to return to the job or alternate work
- Someone applying for Social Security Disability benefits
- Someone seeking to return to work or volunteer activities after an injury or illness
- Someone injured in a catastrophic accident (i.e., automobile accident) for whom an FCE can determine performance skills and abilities related to resuming former employment or a new job
- Someone seeking vocational rehabilitation services
- Students receiving transitional services from school to the work setting to determine their skills and the extent of support required to perform in a job
What Are the Components of the FCE?
The components of the FCE will vary based on the purpose of the assessment. The evaluation generally consists of four parts
- Interviewing and psychometric testing
- Clinical testing
- Functional testing
- Review of findings and recommendations
Functional testing may include graded material-handling activities such as lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling; and positional tolerance activities such as sitting, standing, walking, balancing, reaching, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, object handling/manipulation, fingering, hand grasping, and hand manipulation.
Pain monitoring is frequently performed during the FCE to document client-reported levels of pain during various activities as well as to manage pain. The FCE may also include evaluation of an individual’s hand dexterity, hand coordination, endurance, and other job-specific functions. The FCE report includes an overall physical demand level, a summary of job-specific physical abilities, a summary of performance consistency and overall voluntary effort, job match information, adaptations to enhance performance, and treatment recommendations, if requested. Some FCEs are designed to also report on the worker’s ability to meet the cognitive demands of the job in question.
FCEs are done on a one-on-one basis and may range in length from 3 to 4 hours.
WORK CONDITIONING
Work conditioning in physical therapy is a structured program designed to help individuals recover from work-related injuries or prevent future injuries. It focuses on restoring physical strength, flexibility, endurance, and coordination to enable the patient to safely return to their job. The program includes exercises and activities that mimic tasks specific to the patient's occupation, helping them build the physical capacity required for their work duties. Work conditioning also aims to improve functional performance and reduce the risk of re-injury in the workplace.