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Functional Capacity Evaluation

ACE Rehab is here to help recondition workers who are preparing to work after recovering from an injury. After being out of work for a long period of time, injured workers become deconditioned throughout the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. They have spent a long time rehabilitating their injury site, but not a lot of time on the rest of their body. We offer Functional Capacity Evaluations, Work Hardening and Work Conditioning rehabilitation programs to prepare these workers to return to full duty work.

Functional Capacity Evaluation

Returning to pre-injury status is a top priority for athletes, injured workers and employers. Timely and thorough recovery is also a top priority at ACE Rehab. Our Physical Therapists leads the way with industrial rehabilitation programs focused on recovery as well as prevention and reduction of work-related injuries. Like our other therapy services, we excel in evaluating and returning injured workers to employment as soon as possible.

Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE) is one of the many services we offer injured workers. FCE is a comprehensive battery of performance-based tests commonly used to determine the ability for work, activities of daily living, or leisure activities. It may be used to determine an employee’s readiness to return to work after an injury and the restrictions or modifications that may be necessary. The results will assist the employer and physician in determining the plan of action to improve the employee’s health and job performance.

What can you expect during an FCE?

The components of the FCE will vary based on the purpose of the assessment. The FCE typically begins with a client interview, medical record review, and musculoskeletal screening. 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. The FCE may also evaluate an individual’s hand dexterity, hand coordination, endurance, and other job-specific functions. Pain is monitored during the FCE to document client-reported levels of pain during various activities as well as to assess different ways to manage the pain. 

FCEs are done on a one-on-one basis and may range in length from 4 to 6 hours. The examination may take place over 2 consecutive days.