I have an FCE coming up and totally wish you were the 1 I was seeing. You seem very fair and understanding. Thanks for your videos they helped very much.
I had a hemangioma removed from my spine. They had to take my vertebrae’s out to get to the hemangioma. Do they took most of it out and they had to put cement in my t 12 and infused rods and screws on bothering sides. Now I have a hard time getting up and bending over , lifting, twisting and etc . To work a 8 hour day job I don’t see it happening. I mean I get up and do stuff around the house than if I over fo it than I’m down for a while
I would most likely do well on this test. I have a very painful neck injury but I live alone and don't have much by way of family. I have no choice but to do these types of tasks myself. I don't understand how insurance picked "IMEs" or FCEs are legal. I don't feel it to be ethical or morally right by any standard. These things should be picked by the comp commission because they are neutral and generally only interested in the facts. FCEs should be done away with. I could do these tasks but I'm ruined for the next three days.
You make some excellent points, Holy Cats. Many people agree that FCEs are unfair and biased. The best-case scenario is to find an FCE therapists who's fair and who has no vested interest in the outcome of the test.
What if my physical therapist is having me do these types of things when I'm going in for PT but its not a FCE.. should I be concerned an should I be doing these things in my PT
It's pretty normal for your PT to have you work on functional tasks, like lifting, carrying, reaching, etc. as you're making progress. This is especially true if you were injured at work and trying to get back enough strength to return to work. As long as your PT isn't making you feel worse, I wouldn't be too concerned. However, if you feel like they're pushing you too hard, or you don't feel safe, then I would be concerned. Does that make sense?
I only have a knee problem and my upper body strength hasn't deteriorated much. Would an FCE do more harm than good for Social Security Disability application for a knee problem? I can see the SSA saying I can do jobs that only require upper body movements.
That's a good question, Steve. I don't think FCEs are used in quite the same way with SSA claims as they are with Workers' Comp claims. Like you said, if you only have a knee issue, the FCE will typically report that you can do various jobs that don't challenge your knee with too much walking, standing, lifting, stair climbing, etc. In this case, the FCE might do more harm than good for your disability claim. You might want to consult an attorney before you make your decision. I hope that helps! - Luke
Hey, Cherie. No, there aren't any specific guidelines for age ranges, although a skilled FCE therapist should take that information into account. Most of the way I would rate someone's lifting abilities take into account multiple factors, particularly related to the person's overall level of physical conditioning. Does that make sense?
Gordon Physical Therapy , l guess, l was just thinking along the lines of 5 mile races and or physical tests for police etc, where there are categories for age, like over/under 40 etc. As two people might have the exact same injury but the 25 year old would in most cases still be more flexible than the person over 50.?
@@cheriemaceachern9746 I know what you mean. Hopefully you're FCE provider sees you as an individual and takes all of your history into account when putting you through the various tests. It really depends a lot on who you get and what their perspective is... if the therapist is more biased towards the employer, they can be a bit nasty. But then there are therapists who are more understanding and aren't biased by the employer and/or the insurance company. I hope you get one of them!
@GordonPhysicalTherapy not at all , each task was done once and therfore I can do it continuously to them and that definitely isn't the case. But if I said I couldn't do it they would right down I didn't try therfore I was faking the pain. Now this is all after I have already had this second surgery fusing my 2 lower lumbar levels
I lost four fingers (machine malfunction) but can still lift a lot with just my thumb, palm and forearm. Although it puts a lot of strain on my wrist , with or without the prosthetic, and I will surely have arthritis before long. How does this come into play for the test? Thank you in advance!
That's a great question, and how your situation impacts your FCE results really depends on your FCE provider. I would definitely bring up your concerns early in the FCE and ask them if they'll take that into consideration. Unfortunately, it will probably vary depending on who you get...
@@GordonPhysicalTherapy So basically you report what you observe but do not give a professional opinion IF the person can perform a certain job or activity?
That's why it's so important to get an FCE provider who's fair and accurate and has no conflict of interest when it comes to how they get their referrals. It's not a great system though, I agree with you on that.
One thing I’ve been wondering is how the test takes the full four hours. When I gave my first FCE I had covered most of the items before 2.5 hours was up. Any tips on what all to cover to complete the four hour timeframe? I assume history etc is a part of the total time?
Hey, Michael. It depends on the system you use. I was using WorkWell (I saw "was" because I stopped doing them a couple years ago). With this system, there was a lot of time early observing the person sitting, while they filled out some subjective questionnaires and did some handling/grasping tasks. So that kind of stuff, including the history, took up a good hour at least. Overall, the extra time is nice if you need it, but if you get all the data you need in 2.5 hours, I'd say go for it. I hope that helps! - Luke
Gordon Physical Therapy Why did you stop doing them? I have heard a couple other PTs who no longer do them. Was reimbursement not making it worth the time?
Reimbursement was really good actually, but I really didn't enjoy doing them. I didn't really feel like I was helping people, just chugging them through the system. And since I didn't enjoy doing them, and I didn't feel like I was really helping anyone, I stopped. Even though the money was good :-) - Luke
It is 4 hours long so they can justify ripping off the payer for $4,000 or $5,000, which is what thyy charge for a FCE. The world of PT is all about money. People with literally 1/3rd the training of a doctor making decisions what they are not qualified to make, and getting paid money that a doctor could only dream about.
I have an FCE coming up and totally wish you were the 1 I was seeing. You seem very fair and understanding. Thanks for your videos they helped very much.
I hope your FCE goes well! There are other fair people out there :-)
I had a hemangioma removed from my spine. They had to take my vertebrae’s out to get to the hemangioma. Do they took most of it out and they had to put cement in my t 12 and infused rods and screws on bothering sides. Now I have a hard time getting up and bending over , lifting, twisting and etc . To work a 8 hour day job I don’t see it happening. I mean I get up and do stuff around the house than if I over fo it than I’m down for a while
Your FCE therapist should take all of this information into account before they start any testing with you. I hope it goes well!
I would most likely do well on this test. I have a very painful neck injury but I live alone and don't have much by way of family. I have no choice but to do these types of tasks myself. I don't understand how insurance picked "IMEs" or FCEs are legal. I don't feel it to be ethical or morally right by any standard. These things should be picked by the comp commission because they are neutral and generally only interested in the facts. FCEs should be done away with. I could do these tasks but I'm ruined for the next three days.
You make some excellent points, Holy Cats. Many people agree that FCEs are unfair and biased. The best-case scenario is to find an FCE therapists who's fair and who has no vested interest in the outcome of the test.
What if my physical therapist is having me do these types of things when I'm going in for PT but its not a FCE.. should I be concerned an should I be doing these things in my PT
It's pretty normal for your PT to have you work on functional tasks, like lifting, carrying, reaching, etc. as you're making progress. This is especially true if you were injured at work and trying to get back enough strength to return to work. As long as your PT isn't making you feel worse, I wouldn't be too concerned. However, if you feel like they're pushing you too hard, or you don't feel safe, then I would be concerned. Does that make sense?
I only have a knee problem and my upper body strength hasn't deteriorated much. Would an FCE do more harm than good for Social Security Disability application for a knee problem? I can see the SSA saying I can do jobs that only require upper body movements.
That's a good question, Steve. I don't think FCEs are used in quite the same way with SSA claims as they are with Workers' Comp claims. Like you said, if you only have a knee issue, the FCE will typically report that you can do various jobs that don't challenge your knee with too much walking, standing, lifting, stair climbing, etc. In this case, the FCE might do more harm than good for your disability claim. You might want to consult an attorney before you make your decision. I hope that helps! - Luke
I have a two day test coming up
Good luck! I hope it goes well :-)
Are there age categories for the weights, is someone 50 expected to lift what a 25 year old might
Hey, Cherie. No, there aren't any specific guidelines for age ranges, although a skilled FCE therapist should take that information into account. Most of the way I would rate someone's lifting abilities take into account multiple factors, particularly related to the person's overall level of physical conditioning. Does that make sense?
Gordon Physical Therapy , l guess, l was just thinking along the lines of 5 mile races and or physical tests for police etc, where there are categories for age, like over/under 40 etc. As two people might have the exact same injury but the 25 year old would in most cases still be more flexible than the person over 50.?
@@cheriemaceachern9746 I know what you mean. Hopefully you're FCE provider sees you as an individual and takes all of your history into account when putting you through the various tests. It really depends a lot on who you get and what their perspective is... if the therapist is more biased towards the employer, they can be a bit nasty. But then there are therapists who are more understanding and aren't biased by the employer and/or the insurance company. I hope you get one of them!
Both mine was done for 8 hours each time
That's good overall. Do you feel like you were treated fairly?
@GordonPhysicalTherapy not at all , each task was done once and therfore I can do it continuously to them and that definitely isn't the case. But if I said I couldn't do it they would right down I didn't try therfore I was faking the pain. Now this is all after I have already had this second surgery fusing my 2 lower lumbar levels
I lost four fingers (machine malfunction) but can still lift a lot with just my thumb, palm and forearm. Although it puts a lot of strain on my wrist , with or without the prosthetic, and I will surely have arthritis before long. How does this come into play for the test? Thank you in advance!
That's a great question, and how your situation impacts your FCE results really depends on your FCE provider. I would definitely bring up your concerns early in the FCE and ask them if they'll take that into consideration. Unfortunately, it will probably vary depending on who you get...
@@GordonPhysicalTherapy So basically you report what you observe but do not give a professional opinion IF the person can perform a certain job or activity?
This FCE system needs to be eradicated because it doesn't mimic real world work.
It's a ploy for the insurance companies to minimize your injury.
That's why it's so important to get an FCE provider who's fair and accurate and has no conflict of interest when it comes to how they get their referrals. It's not a great system though, I agree with you on that.
One thing I’ve been wondering is how the test takes the full four hours. When I gave my first FCE I had covered most of the items before 2.5 hours was up. Any tips on what all to cover to complete the four hour timeframe? I assume history etc is a part of the total time?
Hey, Michael. It depends on the system you use. I was using WorkWell (I saw "was" because I stopped doing them a couple years ago). With this system, there was a lot of time early observing the person sitting, while they filled out some subjective questionnaires and did some handling/grasping tasks. So that kind of stuff, including the history, took up a good hour at least. Overall, the extra time is nice if you need it, but if you get all the data you need in 2.5 hours, I'd say go for it. I hope that helps! - Luke
Gordon Physical Therapy Why did you stop doing them? I have heard a couple other PTs who no longer do them. Was reimbursement not making it worth the time?
Reimbursement was really good actually, but I really didn't enjoy doing them. I didn't really feel like I was helping people, just chugging them through the system. And since I didn't enjoy doing them, and I didn't feel like I was really helping anyone, I stopped. Even though the money was good :-) - Luke
It is 4 hours long so they can justify ripping off the payer for $4,000 or $5,000, which is what thyy charge for a FCE. The world of PT is all about money. People with literally 1/3rd the training of a doctor making decisions what they are not qualified to make, and getting paid money that a doctor could only dream about.
Thank you
You're welcome!
UPS has me doing this soon 😩 I’m so nervous it’s for my hip
I hope it goes well!
Garbage company making me do this Today
How did it turn out?
How'd it go?