Industrial
Rehabilitation Program

TSAOG’s WorkSmart Industrial Rehabilitation Program focuses on the physical and behavioral rehabilitation of injured workers. Our goal is to return employees to the workplace in a safe and rapid manner using job-specific rehabilitation techniques.

Question about our program? Call 210-396-5256

Who We Are:

Our Industrial Rehabilitation Center team is composed of licensed professionals providing high quality physical and behavioral care in an industrial rehabilitation setting. We strive to improve the work ethic of injured employees and return them to a healthy and employable condition so they may successfully rejoin the workforce.

What We Do:

Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) – An FCE is a comprehensive screening method used to determine an employee’s mobility, strength, endurance, and ability to perform work related activities. These evaluations are conducted over 3 to 5 hours and gauge an employee’s readiness to return to work.
Work Hardening – When an employee has been out of work for several months due to a work-related injury, illness, or surgery, there can be a loss of physical stamina. This program therefore utilizes individually designed strength training, aerbic endurance, mobility exercises and work task simulations to re-condition the patient. A typical session is a 2-3 hours, two to three times per week spanning up to 5 weeks.
Work Conditioning – Just as with work conditioning, this program includes physical conditioning for strength, endurance, and mobility. It also has an emphasis on simulating specific job functions to help reintroduce the employee into the work environment. Work Hardening includes both a physical and psychosocial component, where a licensed Professional Counselor is available to assist with any personal or stress factors which are being experienced by the injured worker. It is indicated for individuals who have a greater gap between their current ability and their job’s requirement. Typical duration is 3 – 4 hours/session, three to five visits per week spanning up to 7 weeks.
Functional Job Descriptions (FJD) – This service drastically improves the accuracy and validity of an Employer’s Position Descriptions. A licensed staff member will visit the worksite to make an inventory of processes/duties of each specific job desired which will also include taking measurements of weights, forces, heights, distances. This data can be used to better determine whether an applicant is able to perform the job and/or able to return after an extended absence from illness or injury.
Post-Offer Employment Testing (POET)/Fit For Duty (FFD) – During the hiring process, applicants often undergo criminal background checks and drug screening. For jobs which require heavy lifting, material handling, endurance, and mobility, it is also advantageous to include physical testing to ensure the applicant has no issues in performing the rigor of these positions. Similar reasoning applies for an employee who has been absent for an extended period because of injury, illness, or surgery to ensure their safe return to work. A validated Functional Job Description is required for POET or FFD design unless the employer has current performance requirements elucidated. POETs and FFDs do not require Physician Referral, although if the applicant/employee/evaluator has concern, medical clearance may be required.

Do I Need Industrial Rehabilitation?

If you have suffered a work-related injury and have not been able to return to work following traditional physical therapy, your doctor may recommend industrial rehabilitation to facilitate your recovery. This type of program is a unique form of therapy referred to as either work hardening or work conditioning.

Being off work for an extended period of time often results in deconditioning, which basically means that your body has adjusted to reduced physical activity during your recovery and now is having a hard time readjusting to the physical demands of your job. Activities to which you were accustomed before your injury may now be difficult to perform. Working for an entire day may seem impossible. You may still be experiencing some pain and feel uncertain about what activities you can safely perform. You may either be unable to return to your former employment or be required to return to a level of activity that is less strenuous than that of your previous employment requirements. Deconditioning is often not effectively treated using traditional physical therapy and this is where job-specific rehabilitation techniques can help.

Patient Education

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Refer a Patient

To refer a patient to the WorkSmart Industrial Rehabilitation Center program, please complete our Therapy Referral Form and fax it to our team at 210-396-5309.