Your Road to Recovery Starts Here

posted on: 5/30/2019 1:31:23 PM

Schroeder, Nathan OTR/L

Have you ever been injured at your job? Have you ever experienced increased pain due to the repetitive tasks you do at work? Are you struggling to fulfill your job duties due to pain, fatigue or an underlying medical condition? At Lima Memorial Health System, we offer solutions to these everyday problems through our industrial rehab program. We offer functional capacity evaluations (FCE), work conditioning programs and pre-work screenings to maintain your ability to complete work tasks at your highest level. These programs can be completed by either an occupational or physical therapist. Through these therapy programs, we can work closely with vocational rehab counselors and create an alliance that best fits our clients’ needs.

A functional capacity evaluation examines a client’s physical ability to perform work-related tasks in a safe and ergonomically-correct manner. Through this evaluation we measure the client’s joint range of motion and strength in all extremities, assess balance and coordination and examine the individual’s ability to perform lifting tasks in a safe manner. In addition, we assess heart rate, functional pain rating, perceived exertion and self-limiting behaviors. Our FCE’s can also be adapted to perform job-specific tasks in order to accurately depict the true demands of a client’s job. After the evaluation is completed, we provide recommendations for return-to-work or disability. These recommendations can include, but are not limited to lifting restrictions, changes in ergonomic environment or setup, physical or occupational therapy interventions, work conditioning, gradual return-to-work or return to full-duty.

Our work conditioning program is meant for individuals who plan to return to work after an injury, however do not have the physical conditioning, gross strength, power or coordination to function in their desired work environment. This intensive, goal-oriented program looks to restore our clients’ physical ability to perform their job at full potential. Individuals who participate in this program are typically seen three to five days per week for a period of three to six hours. Personalized sessions are also offered and include strengthening and cardiovascular exercises as well as job-simulated tasks to meets our clients’ needs.

At the Lima Memorial Wellness Center, located at the Lima Family YMCA, our therapists perform pre-work screenings for employers who are hiring new employees. We assist employers in creating job descriptions and establishing an appropriate pre-work screen that accurately depicts job duties and physical job demands. By participating in the pre-work screening program, employers are ensured all newly hired employees are physically capable of meeting physical job demands and can safely perform the job tasks.

Turn to Lima Memorial’s industrial rehab program to get your employees back to work safely at their highest level of functioning. To learn more, call the Wellness Center at 419-226-5075.