Gradually, through in-depth studies, observations, much trials and error, the medical and allied health team’s thinking and approach on handling injured workers evolved more. They became more specific, and started to think in in-depth practical ideas, assessing and planning in ideas of an injured worker’s ability to carry out real physical job (preferably one of similar in nature to the ones the injured Brand Competitors Analysis worker had prior to injury), in terms of specific postures, movement patterns, weights and resistance, not just in terms of three sets of ten repetitions, but more of as many repetition and as much weight as required as per working day/session. That was the paradigm shift as it evolved from one of simply treating a hurt, to direct strengthening and conditioning, to restoring real job functions.
Here was the new emerging mindset:
“It is not enough to simply heal the injured body part, nor to alleviate pain, nor to strengthen and condition injured workers in generalised conditioning focussed exercises. The healed injured worker must be able to perform the specific job demand(s) under the requisite conditions and set time frame.”
Under this new emergent mindset, rehabilitation process began to adopt work function-oriented assessment, analysis, intervention planning, actual intervention and re-evaluation of the actual rehabilitation. The industrial Functional Capacity Assessment (FCA) was developed and utilised to understand the healed injured worker’s capability, Company Analysis function and ability. Later, the Job Analysis (JA) was subsequently developed to determine job requirements, functional requirements and possible risk factors and areas. It was then that Work Conditioning changed from the conventional weights and resistive training to one that includes simulating specific job demands.
This approach brought about better restoration of job capabilities for return to work and reduced re-injury rates. However, another set of problems and issues emerged: Psychosocial aspects of the injured workers.
