What is Work Rehabilitation?
At IRG, we understand that work injuries can be different. Our staff of PTs, OTs, PTAs, and ATCs specialize in occupational health/rehabilitation, and they provide a comprehensive body of expertise to help get the injured worker back to work. IRG's Work Rehabilitation program is a multidisciplinary treatment, comprised of physical therapy, occupational therapy, Work Rehabilitation, Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE) and ergonomic education. Our goal is to help the injured worker heal and safely return to job and/or work environment as quickly and safely as possible.
IRG's work rehabilitation program includes a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, utilizing both physical and occupational therapy, to facilitate a safe and timely return-to-work for injured workers. Individuals who have been involved in a work-related injury that have an open claim can benefit from this program.
Work Rehabilitation - Conditioning (WR-C) & Work Rehabilitation - Hardening (WR-H)
Work Rehabilitation is a structured return-to-work program. It is an extension of traditional physical therapy treatment that bridges the gap between the physical therapy clinic and the actual workplace. Work Rehabilitation includes training in proper stretching, strengthening, overall aerobic conditioning, and specific work simulated tasks. Exercise and simulated work tasks are closely monitored and modified by therapists daily to achieve return-to-work goals as quickly as possible.
Work rehabilitation - Conditioning and Work rehabilitation - Hardening is an intensive work-related, goal-oriented, conditioning program that is specifically designed to restore neuromuscular functions. Those functions include joint integrity and mobility, muscular performance — such as strength, power and endurance, motor function, balance, range of motion — and cardiovascular endurance. Individuals will progress into a Work Rehabilitation program after they have finished physical therapy or occupational therapy in order to address any unresolved issues.
Functional Capacity Evaluations
The Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is performed as a four to eight hour test that evaluates an injured worker’s physical capacities in regard to strength, endurance, speed, flexibility and physical effort. The Matheson protocol is used to carry out the testing process. Matheson’s industry-leading approach to evaluation and rehabilitation is to provide answers to questions that foster equitable case resolution, free of bias toward the injured worker or the fee payer. As thinking evaluators, we view each evaluation as unique. Each client has a unique set of referral questions. Using the practice hierarchy of safety, reliability, validity, practicality and utility, we strive to answer the referral source’s questions and measure the injured worker's potential for return to work. Our FCEs provide results that are safe, valid, reliable and defensible. Final FCE reports will be comprehensive and sent out in a timely manner so that prompt decisions can be made in regard to the status of the injured worker.
Ergonomic Education
An ergonomic assessment via video and/or photos of a client’s workspace can help in minimizing stressors that may lead to a cumulative trauma disorder (CTD). Many CTDs are caused by risk factors such as repetitive movements, static loads, sustained exertions, awkward postures, mechanical contact stressors and forceful exertions. Any single risk factor or a combination of multiple risk factors can lead to a CTD. Thus, incorporation of an ergonomic assessment is important in regard to identifying and addressing risk factors before they turn into a CTD.