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Work Conditioning / Work Hardening / Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE's).

Injured workers benefit from occupational and physical therapy services from the onset of injury through their return to work. Early therapy intervention consists of treatment for acute musculoskeletal problems and other injuries. Many patients who receive appropriate early care return to their job without additional rehabilitation services.

For those who are not able to return to work because of unresolved physical problems following acute care, treatment focus changes to restoration of function. Defined as WORK CONDITIONING, Heritage Valley Health System offers this program to address the physical issues of flexibility, strength, endurance, coordination and work related function for the goal of return to work.

For the limited number of patients with behavioral and vocational dysfunction, WORK HARDENING may be indicated. Heritage Valley Health System also offers this interdisciplinary program which addresses the physical, functional, behavioral and vocational needs of the injured worker. The goal with these programs is always a safe return to work for the patient.

In addition to work hardening and work conditioning, Heritage Valley Health System offers Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCE's). An FCE is a systematic process of measuring and developing an individual's ability to perform meaningful tasks on a safe and dependable basis. By performing an FCE we can:

Determine whether a person is physically able to do a certain type of work
Determine if any safety precautions need to be taken at work to prevent reinjury
Are there any physical conditions which will make longevity in a particular occupation hazardous
Heritage Valley Health System has purchased specific equipment such as the BTE Primus, Ergos Work Simulator and Hanoun Medical System. Each of these machines is operated by Certified physicial and occupational therapists employed at Heritage Valley Health System. Each of our sites can perform work conditioning and work hardening programs. Our Hopewell and Chippewa offices also offer Functional Capacity Evaluations.