AQA, Wink & Bad Boy Everyone that has done FCE

[Spring]

AQA you wrote this above....and I just can't get this off my mind about FCE's (Hope you don't mind that I copied it down to here) I didn't want to take over that thread....

FCE = functional capacity exam. Weather computer generated or not is subjective. The purpose of the fce is so that it is noted what you can and can not do. I do believe in the theory that one should not take pain killers pryer to the exam. Do what you can and stop when you can do no more. When I finished with my second one I had to do four different questionaires. My fce was so detailed that they noted while doing the questionaire I was shifting my body weight due to the pain.

My injury was to the lower back. During the fce I had to pick a box off the floor and put it on a shelf, pick up a box off the floor and carry it 50ft, then put it back on the floor, rearrange magazines on a shelf over my head, crawl on the floor, stand in one place and reach to the left and pick up cones then twist to the right and set them on a cart, kneel on the floor and work with my hands, climb a ladder, push a sled with weight. All that after doing the computer generated part, witch measured muscel strenth.

I hope all of that does not scare you. But you did ask. One thing to keep in mind is that altho it may appeare that they are in control. They are not. You are. They will incourage you to push yourself, but only you know how much pain you are in.

My fce was months ago. My restrictions from my ortho and neuro differ greatly from the fce report. After my fce I spent three days heavily seadated. It is just part of the process. I guess what I am trying to say is, push yourself. Just don't push to hard. As long as you are honest with yourself during the exam all will be fine.

Then Wink posted alot if info from him and Bad Boy...that I found very interesting...Thank you.

My questions is my heaven...AQA where you able to do all that they ask....and everyone here that has had to do one of these FCE's did you all have to do this stuff that AQA did. They don't take in consideration your injury....Do they help you get on the floor or help you up....is there people there to help you if you do get hurt....In some ways I just start laughing...but it isn't funny. But I can just see me trying to get on the floor...and trying to crawl...they would have to get behind my rearend and push..it would be like pushing a cat in the bathtub...because I would be holding my arm and would not be a happy camper...then I don't know how in world they would get me up...you can't pull on me...that would be like oh I don't know what...I have read the links that Bad boy gave us a while back...but I guess really reading what AQA had to do just had me like...there is no way....so I just wanted to know who has all done one of these...and what did your FCE include...and where you able to do it all. I don't even know why I have gotten myself so worked up about it not like I have been told I have to do one.

[Still in Limbo]

Spring, I have had two Computer FCE's and steps, crawling, etc. wasn't a part of mine. I had to try and Lift boxes from different angles, from the floor, (which I couldn't). I think AQA may have been talking about Work Hardening, that kind of stuff is done there. I may be wrong though!!

[Sithie]

My second one was like AQA's. You know how it went. They were kind to me, and when it looked like a bad idea would tell her, "I can try, but it may be a bad idea, or you may have to help/catch me" etc. She was great, The test i took proved the memory/concentration loss, and how much worse it became with pain. All and all it was the best thimg I hav had done yet as far as being an honest report. I did take my meds, and she did let me take breakthrough meds, and this was all noted numerous times in the report.

[Pooh]

Spring

Lifting from the floor is doing it the normal way - i.e. squat, grab, and lift - if you can.

I could carry and walk and carry the weights (mine was in a crate) from waist level the 50 feet and back - and the 10 lbs was not a problem at all nor was the empty crate. But 20 lbs was pushing it.

As for from the floor - they had me first lift on to the platform they had - floor to waist, back to floor, floor to overhead height, back to floor, etc. doing the 0, 5, 10, 20 lbs - I could do floor to waist on all but the 20 lbs and I could do floor to overhead on 0 and 5 lbs (even at that it was pushing it)

So because of my floor to different heights - they didn't have me do lots of different distance weight lifting and walking from floor or waist.

Each person's FCE is different depending on the type of job they were doing at the time of injury - which surprised me that they didn't have me climbing ladders as well since that was part of my job - but the type of ladders I had to climb were the ones that were straight up not step ladders. So maybe because the place didn't have those type they didn't do it.

There were other things I had to do - like the peg board - you know put this peg in the that board here ...... lol from different angles and that was challenging to some point because of the reaching - computerization shows this according to the recordings from the peg board itself. My ability to get the round peg in the round hole from one board to the other was difficult when following their rules ..... and my lines showed it they were up and down all over the place .......

I think the only thing they did manually on me was measure my rom. Other than that they made sure I could walk up and down a flight of stairs a couple of times and walk for 20 minutes. The walking for 20 minutes I had the option of walking around outside if I wanted to instead of on the treadmill - which I choose because I could walk at my pace and not at a pace set on a treadmill.

No crawling for me since that was not considered part of my job duties. Repetitive motion was the big thing on mine - but I am sure it was fun when I dropped the pegs yet none of that was noted on the report.

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Spring, it is my opinion that each and every person performing an FCE will never be the same as the next person. This is why Wink, myself and others, truely support the Computer operated FCE. The computer operated one, monitor's you constantly, meaning heart rate and pluse. For when you perform the Human person performing the FCE, they only monitor you at the start and end of each task, so as you see, they are missing what goes on, with your heart rate and puluse while performing the task at hand. Pain will increase ones heart rate, and once that gets to 20% above the normal high rate as it is writen and programed, it tells the operater to stop you right there. In either type FCE, I never had them help me, as you can see, how can the computer help you up. So there both performed in the same manner mostly. You always tell either one, when pain increased enough to make you want to stop. ( Medications, I stopped on my last one, took them the one before, and it showed I was Hulk Hogan or Superman, then the one before that I didn't take the Meds, and the report was very close to the last one, computer operated.) being said and the trend I show with the Medications, you can see such a big difference in taking the medications. Now if that isn't a good example, I like someone to say different. For the FCE taken with medications is bitting me in the butt right now with my settlement, and I'm left to explain myself. But as you can see that isn't hard for me to do, and I have proof of why I had to take my medications that one time at that FCE, for the time it was set up, they left me little time to come down off the meds in a timely safe fashion. Like having to wing of them, must my meds are that way. You always hope and pray you get a person like Sithie had on her last FCE, but lets remember that is far and few between. Now also remember the fact of human error and error in human judgement VS little error from the computer being pre-programmed with human judgement in advance to your FCE. FCE's are to be objective.

Now here is some truth also. If you go to an FCE, and your angry about something, or they make you angry before you start, your juices are flowing, making you high strung before you even start. Or maybe someone cut you off the road on the way there, or your still T'd off at your employer, or anything that has set you off. Then as it happened to me, I can say this, as I said I was on medications the second to last FCE. I was T'd off about how they set the date up, I was T'd off for I knew who was going to perform the FCE, but I did request a different person perform it. Needless to say, the heart rate is up some, which now will change the upper high rate and 20% value over the high rate, for they use a simple chart is all. As you can see your starting out already on the wrong foot. Now because of not only the meds, but my being angry, the juices flowing, you take this FCE out on yourself, without you knowing what your doing to yourself. So end results will show you performed very well. But I did report on-going pain during, and afterwards, having to be force before I leave to apply ice to my knee for I could hardly walk, extreme lower back pain, and upper muscle around the neck and shoulders so tight they might stop a speeding bullet. Being said they do a one time, day or two later follow up call. I told them about all I said above plus meds were not helping. I was trying my home PT as taught for flare up, ICE and Heat. Guess what, it has never went away, so as you now see, I suffer from the Human FCE now. This is a primary Example of what your Employer's IC's hopes happens to you. Their Attorney's will eat it up, and you best do what I did, and pay for a total Independent FCE Computer Operated, to show the difference between the two, or you may get stuck in a position you don't want to be in.

Sorry for any(SP)'s

http://www.occuhand.com/fce.html

http://www.rcfp.org/taping/

http://www.medigraphsoftware.com/Demo/FCEDemo.asp

Note; This thread in my Opinion should be on the Injured Workers Board...

[Spring]

Thank you Guys & Girls....this morning being able to read all the posts sure made me feel better....I was just picturing myself trying to do this stuff. And it wasn't a very good picture....One more question...did your Dr have to approve you medically stable to do this FCE?

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

Spring, that is something you need the Doctor to do before you perform the FCE, for the IC won't ever request it, that's for sure. But by having the doctor in the picture, the doctor may state your not to perform certain FCE test also.

[AQA]

Spring, There is nothing to be concerned about. My fce was different from a lady that was there at the same time. She is a airline sterwdace (sp). The fce is based on your job. I was able to do everything I posted, but with limitations.

My neuro-surgen requested both fce's. Remember thou, it may appeare that they are in control. You Are In Control. You can stop at any time. They will incourage you to continue, but it is up to you weather you do or don't. My job was that of a air conditioning tech. Every part of the fce was something that I did as part of my job.

I am looking at my last fce report and my list of restrictions from my dr. The fce report states that I lifted 70 lbs. floor to knuckle and 12" to knuckle, 50lbs knuckle to shoulder and shoulder to over head, carried 55 lbs 50 ft., push/pull a sled 30ft. 70 lbs of force. All of that is a small part of the report. My work restrictions from the dr. states, lift no more than 10lbs, I can not sit for more than 2 hours, I can not stand for more than two hours. I am never to bend, twist, climb ladders.

As you can tell, What I did during the fce is totally against what the dr. has restricted me from doing. I was able to do it all that day. However, I only lasted for 16 minutes. Changes in posture and pain levels where noted every 5 minutes . As well as begining and ending heart rate after each cycle. If I knew how to do it I would post my report so those that have not had one could see what It looks like. Take Care.

[Bad Boy Bad Boy]

AQA, another point well made.

( Related FCE to your Job ) as stated. I was told the same thing.

But, and here is another good point I agrued about FCE's for the longest time. I'm told I can't go back to my Job, or my Line of Work ever again. So as you can see why I have contested each FCE that was performed, except for the Computer Operated one, that was a full function FCE to see what kind of work I might be able to perform. So now as we weigh out the differences, you can now see even a bigger difference between the two, and what their doing as I consider wrong in my book. For all the Human operated FCE's were based on the type of work I performed when injured. To me then is wrong, for I can't perform that type work ever again. So in proper terms, they should have performed an FCE in regards to finding out what I can do, and where I can fit back into the work field, yet they didn't.