Agreed. It's certainly not a perfect system, and there's a lot of subjectivity involved. Having a good primary doctor is very important, and at times you may need to consult an attorney as well.

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🙌🏼🙌🏼 amen!

Just get a lawyer.. I am

@@thereal1505 me too.. if I get denied.. was considering doing the reconsideration myself, but decided to get an attorney. My gut tells me they do not want to give the benefit at this point.

@@thereal1505they ask that you get them filled out too

You're welcome! Thanks for watching! Any requests for future videos?

You are welcome!

You're quite welcome!

You're welcome! I hope your FCE goes well :-)

You're welcome 😊

Thank you! I appreciate your kind words :-)

Glad you think so!

I'm sorry to hear that! I hope you're feeling better now :-)

Wow, that's horrible! I hope you didn't hurt your shoulder during the FCE. If you did, make sure your primary doctor makes note of it.

I can't lift weights and I won't U got rods in my back so mope

Yes, I've seen people in your situation get dragged into FCEs, even when so close to retirement. Just do your best to jump through the hoops. Good luck!

Hi, April. Monitoring your heart rate is just a precaution. Having a higher heart rate shows the therapist that you're giving good effort. So that should be a positive thing, not a negative one.

This is a great question and one that's very hard to navigate during an FCE. My best advice is to explain your situation to your FCE provider, including your medical history and your response to activity. You might also request a 2-day FCE, so that your FCE provider can see how you're doing after one day of testing. I hope that helps!

Thanks!

Hi, Christina. My input is that it really comes down to your FCE provider. Make sure you relate your history to the provider, and make sure they understand those details that you just explained. With any luck, you'll get an FCE examiner who treats you fairly and considers your situation. And if for any reason you feel like you're being mistreated, I'd recommend consulting with an attorney who specializes in workers' compensation claims. Good luck with your FCE!

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate it.

Yes, they should honor your work restrictions, unless your doctor has told them it's okay to "test to your tolerance".

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy I got a score of 48 on my fce what does that mean

Hi, Rose. Can you explain more about your issue? Do you have a specific question?

An FCE can be used for people still employed or people no longer employed. If your position has been terminated, your claims manager can use an FCE to help place you in another job.

Work Hardening can finish up with an FCE, although usually it doesn't, as your therapists should be able to determine your physical abilities by the end of your Work Hardening program. Sometimes, you'll have an FCE before starting Work Hardening. Are you starting soon?

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Yes...going to start work hardening sometime next week but haven't had an FCE yet. Thank you for replying back

@@Lborguy you're welcome! Good luck with Work Hardening. Make sure to speak up if you feel like they're pushing you too hard... unfortunately, I've seen programs get too aggressive at times and end up injuring people. I'm not saying it's common, but you know your body better than they do, so just keep an eye on things :-)

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy thank you

@@Lborguy my pleasure! Let me know if you have any more questions :-)

Hi, Scott. Yes, it's quite normal for the second surgery to take longer to heal, especially when the rotator cuff and/or biceps tendons are involved. The important thing to focus on is if you think you're continuing to make progress with your pain, ROM and strength. If you feel like you've plateaued, that's when I'd start to look for different kinds of help, such as working with a different PT. The hard part with Work Conditioning programs is that the entire focus is shifted from helping you heal to only helping you gain strength and conditioning. This can prolong the healing process in my opinion. During your FCE, I would just do your best to communicate clearly and concisely with your evaluator and let them know what you've been through and where you are now. If there are things you can't do safely with your arm, don't do them. You really don't want to risk re-injuring that shoulder, so keep that in mind. Does that help, Scott?

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Yes it did thank you again Blessings going your way.

Hey, Heather. Make sure you're reporting all of your symptoms back to your primary MD, as they make a lot of the calls. If you have an attorney, make sure you keep them informed as well. Good luck!

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy I let my lawyer know the same day and the NCM said she was going to let Dr. Boody know, however, I think I will call there today as well because I cannot trust her. She is refusing to give me the FCE so I can try to move up my appointment as well.

Wow........ I believe you hun. So ppl are just cruel

You're welcome, Scott! Definitely talk to your attorney if you think you need a different doctor. Your doctor is really the most important part of your claim, and you want to make sure they have your best interests at heart. Good luck!

Yes, I've seen doctors and insurance companies order FCEs for situations like yours, where they want to know what your physical abilities/limitations are.

Similar situation here; I’m wondering if you felt the communication between your FC evaluator and your PC seemed thorough enough to measure what was necessary. I don’t want my FC provider feeling scrutinized, but at the same time, these are not covered by my insurance, so I kinda hope that they measure what they are supposed to measure…

I'm not sure if Social Security checks PT notes or not...

I'm sorry to hear that... I hope you find something that will work for you! - Luke

I would report to your doctor and your FCE provider.

No answer huh

Sorry for the delay! If your results find you unable to return to your job of injury, you have some options: you might be offered a "work conditioning" or "work hardening" program to help you return to your job of injury. Or you might be offered re-training to help you learn another job that's less physically demanding. I hope that helps!

See my reply...

Hi, Maria. Sometimes your work restrictions don't apply to your FCE, especially if your surgeon or primary doctor told the therapist it was okay to "test to tolerance" during the FCE. I'm not sure if that's your case, but it sounds like it might be. For your second question, I'm not really sure what caused you to regress. However, the inflammation from your FCE certainly might be the cause.

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Much appreciated 🙏

HI, I did my FCE and end-up in the middle after consulting with my orthopedic, he order more physical therapy, I was doing therapy every other day, before the FCE. now he wants me to do physical therapy every day x 2 weeks, total of 10. to get me where he wants me to be. and after this 10 days of physical therapy. I Will do another FCE, And will go back to see him, is this Normal? my shoulder muscles is still bruise from the last FCE, that it was done on May the 31st. The Orthopedic said it was normal to bruise. I'm not taken any inflammatory or pain meds. I don't think I needed, my biggest problem is my employer I was told they don't have enough employee's, that we have to work something out. I'm mentally. emotionally and physical stress out, on one side I was told if I don't complied with the Dr's orders my case will be closed, on the other side my employer is giving me a hard time. even know they are aware of the workers com, guidelines what would you suggest on your personal opinion? FYI My Rotator cuff surgery was on Feb-10-22 started PT ON Feb/23/22 went back to work two weeks after my surgery. with Restrictions and a sling on my R, arm. was not doing my regular work duties, I was unswering the phones and taken notes with my left hand. workers comp. refused to take me off work. Do I need a Lawyer or is all this Normal. thank you in advanced Maria,

Sorry started PT ON 2/11/22 not on 2/23

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Hi Mr. GORDON Please read my questions under my own comments Thank you 😊

It's a fine line for sure. It's important to give good effort, but you also have to no your own limits and communicate with your evaluating therapist. I hope it goes well :-)

There shouldn't be a difference in the test itself. Is yours for an insurance claim?

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Yes this FCE was non-workerscomp and non-insurance. However, it does favor me, but the Worker’s Comp FCE with their insurance didn’t favor me. In a nutshell, workers comp said I’m not severely injured while post workers comp fce no insurance says I am severely injured.

Thank you for sharing your perspective! Much of what you say is valid, although I'd like to think their are FCE therapists out there who aren't too biased.

If someone is working with a disability attorney, should you tell the evaluator that-- or is that none of their business ?

It’s none of their business, the main one you want to know is your claim manager.

Yes, there are a lot of people getting paid...

That's a tough spot to be in... if you push too hard, they think you can do what you can't, but if you don't push hard enough they hold that against you as well. It's a tricky situation for sure.

It sounds like your doctor wants you to do a "Work Hardening" program. This involves 4-6 hours of therapy/day, where they focus on strength, conditioning and work-specific activities. It's fairly common, and with any luck, it will help you get back to work. Good luc!

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Thank you for ur fast prompt, Respond BLESSINGS 💕

Can you get a second opinion?

Do you have a doctor that can help you figure out treatment?

I'm not sure what a QME is... can you clarify?

@@GordonPhysicalTherapy Qualified medical examiner

I'm not sure... were you injured at work?

How did it go? I have Lupus too

@ireneparker7731 I'm still waiting lab results. I have been tracking blood sugar now. The morning I'm 155 and go to 167 and just stay there. And then evening I can't get above 80, which the only reason I checked at those times because each time I was feeling fatigue and just blah. It doesn't make sense and seems like blood sugar is normal? I have an ultrasound for my uterus on Tuesday, so maybe they will have my lab results ready by then. Are you diagnosed with diabetes of any sort? Hugs to you, lupus can really kick the butt

How did it go?

not nearly as challenging that i thought it would be. The physical therapist that conducted the testing, she could the crackling in my right knee and right foot and clearly saw the deformation of my left foot (I have hypermobility syndrome as well, so 2 failed surgeries on my left foot to try to fix a break. Doctors say I have "jello joints" and its hard to straighten out a foot that has jello joints. Anyway, she heard the crackling after my first squat and had me stop and not move forward with any of the exercises that would make my knees bend....my lawyers just sent the results and appeal letter we are submitting and the results say I did poorly on the test and they could tell it was legitimate as they saw and heard the bad joints and bones.

How did it work out? Doctors will often refer for an FCE if they don't know how to fill out those forms.

You want to see an FCE being performed? Or you want to see some of the tests they'll want you to perform?

It can definitely seem biased at times...