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After an employee has been injured and has had time to rest and recover, they may start to feel antsy and eager to return to work. But it’s important that they don’t return without ensuring that they’re in the proper physical condition to efficiently complete their tasks and won’t exacerbate any of their symptoms.
The good news is that there is a set of tests known as the functional capacity evaluation that your employee can complete to determine their functional abilities after an injury.
The basics of a functional capacity evaluation
Whether they were injured on or off the job, you need to make sure that your employee is able to physically handle their duties before returning to work. That’s why a health care professional, such as a physical or occupational therapist, can administer an evaluation. This involves a variety of standardized tests to determine a person’s ability to carry out physical functions.
A functional capacity evaluation can be performed after an employee receives rehabilitation for an injury. It’s often required for a workers’ compensation or disability claim.
The standardized tests will assess many aspects of their physical function, including:
- Range of motion.
- Endurance.
- Balance.
- Strength.
- Postural tolerance.
- Gross and fine manipulations.
- Pain level.
- Fatigue levels.
The therapist will use the evaluation to gauge whether it’s safe for them to return to work based on their condition and job-specific demands. The evaluation will determine the amount of work that’s safe for them to handle, ranging from sedentary to heavy duty.
Work-Fit can provide coaching for re-acclimation after a functional capacity evaluation
An injury can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s physical abilities, from strength to reflexes. An evaluation of their functions gives an employee the go-ahead they need to ensure that they’re able to get back to their normal physical activities, including their work responsibilities, after an injury. That’s where Work-Fit comes in. Once an employee is cleared to return to work, your Work-Fit professional can provide job coaching to ensure that the employee safely re-acclimates to their job.
If you want to ensure that your employees have access to a proper evaluation after an injury, contact our team today.
