Reducing Workers Comp Cost Using Rehabilitation Assessments for Leg and Arm As discussed previously, part of assigning an injured worker to transitional duty is the factor of "medical readiness" to assume a modified duty job. Thus, it is important to know an injured worker's physical capabilities and strengths. Let's look at the second area of significant physical assessment.
- Hand Strength
- Isometric Leg Lift and Arm Lift
- Visual Estimation of Effort
Two Studies Does Isometric Strength Predict Actual Dynamic Lifting Capacity? Isometric testing (static testing) is an assessment of how much force can be generated against an immovable object. Studied for over 40 years isometric strength testing is used to make hiring decisions, return-to-work recommendations and to assess validity of effort. In 40 years of isometric strength studies, only recently has a large normative database been used to find out if such raw measures of strength do, indeed, tell us how much an individual can actually lift. It was conclusively demonstratedin a study of 130,000 job applicants no meaningful predictions of dynamic lifting abilities based on isometric strength can be made because the range of the predictions is 80-120 pounds wide. The study was submitted for peer review and accepted for publication. More details as the date for publication approaches. Can the Static (Isometric) Leg Lift and Arm Lift Be Used to Classify Validity of Effort? In the 30 years of using isometric strength to classify validity of effort, not a single peer-reviewed study was ever published demonstrating the Static Leg Lift and Arm Lift could be used as an index of effort. The same type of biofeedback mechanism facilitating successful "cheating" during a hand strength assessment is also at work during isometric activities. In another study on isometric strength, it was found 20 of 34 volunteers who had never before done isometric testing could successfully feign weakness by consistently reproducing submaximal forces during these isometric lifts. As a result, a 95% confidence interval says between 40% and 75% of those tested could successfully "cheat" during isometric tests. (workersxzcompxzkit) The study was accepted for publication. More details as the date for publication approaches. Author: Darrell Schapmire, MS of X-RTS Software Products & Testing Devices develops distraction-based tests for use in functional capacity evaluations. He can be reached at [email protected] or http://www.exrts.com/
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