shoulder

The shoulder’s neutral position is with the upper arm hanging down by the side of the body, with the elbow near the side of the body. Awkward postures of the shoulder include elevating the arm in front (shoulder flexion greater than 45 degrees) or to the side of the body (shoulder abduction greater than 45 degrees).
 

squatting

Defined by Matheson as a low-level work position with one’s back upright, knees and hips flexed, and buttocks adjacent to heels.
 

static neck positioning

Defined by Matheson as the functional task of maintaining one’s gaze in primarily one direction over time. Typically associated with “prolonged tolerance to work requiring looking down,” e.g. reading, writing, typing, or using an adding machine. Functional tolerance in this area addresses how long a worker can continue that activity (albeit with very brief breaks to look around, shrug shoulders, etc.), before he or she must take a significant (greater than 10 minutes) break from that activity.
 

static standing

Defined by Matheson as the physical task of standing primarily in one place. Allows for the individual to move slightly, within a one-meter circumference. Examples of static standing jobs include grocery cashier, casino card-game dealer, and highway toll taker. Functional tolerance in this area addresses how long a worker can continue that activity before he or she must take a significant (greater than 10 minutes) break to sit, lie down, or walk around.
 

stooping

Defined by the Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs as bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist, requiring full use of the lower extremities and back muscles. In Part A of “Selected Characteristics of Occupations Defined” in the revised Dictionary of Occupational Titles, the rating for the stooping component appears fourth in the first physical demand column under the vertical heading “St.”

Defined by Matheson as bending forward at the waist. Mild = < 30 degrees, moderate = 30 to 45 degrees, severe/extreme = > 45 degrees.
 

strength

Defined by the Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs as having five levels: sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy. Most jobs require workers to expend energy to some extent. The amount can be affected by a worker’s body position and the frequency of the repetition of a task.
 

symptom magnification

Defined by Matheson as the conscious or subconscious tendency of an individual to underrate his or her abilities and/or overstate his or her limitations. Symptom magnification is measured through assessment of observed functional performance, as compared to a client’s subjective reports of the limitations caused by his or her symptoms. It does not imply intent. This concept is based on Dr. Leonard Matheson’s original term, “symptom magnification syndrome.” While subjective reports of persons exhibiting symptom magnification should certainly not be ignored, they should be considered with caution. In such instances, significantly more weight should be placed upon objective findings and test results than upon a person’s subjective reports or estimates of ability. (Kyi, Matheson, 1997)
 

systems approach

A systems approach to safety and health management means a comprehensive program by the employer that addresses workplace processes, operations, and conditions as interdependent systems in order to identify and eliminate or reduce all types of hazards to employees.

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“This Ergonomics Evaluation Certification Program is extremely valuable. Dr. LaCourse is an excellent instructor with years of hands-on experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in reducing cumulative trauma disorders.”

“Also, I just completed my very first FCE today……. And it was AWESOME!!! I could hear you talking in the back of my head the whole time! Very exciting!! Thanks for such a great learning experience!”

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“As a provider of FCEs for 12-plus years, I have been through several training programs. I would recommend Matheson without reservation. Thanks to your training, my staff is the best prepared in my area. It has made a difference for my business and has set us ahead of our competition.”

“Far and away the best certification course I have attended in my seven-year professional career. The instructors are knowledgeable and apply all of the information to real-world scenarios. Thank you!”

This Ergonomics Evaluation Certification Program is extremely valuable. Dr. LaCourse is an excellent instructor with years of hands-on experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in reducing cumulative trauma disorders.”

“Of all the FCE training I have received, Matheson is the most evidence-based. I like that it is a battery of standardized tests, and not a standard battery of tests. It also requires thinking as an evaluator, unlike other programs that don’t allow you to consider any non-quantitative factors, which results in an opinion of functional capacity lacking in external validity. The Matheson FCE makes the most of what is available right now.”

“The Amended ADA Webinar was outstanding and I really appreciate your willingness to do them.  You have gotten to the heart of the matter in the “gray areas” that people have familiarity with, but are not comfortable discussing.  I treasure every one of these webinars.  They have helped me be a better evaluator and allowed me to speak intelligently to our employers and other referral sources.”

“I just wanted to e-mail you and let you know that I found this webinar to be extremely helpful to me in my position as an the on site PT manager. In my opinion your webinar provided excellent information about the ADA issues we may face and invaluable advice to avoid legal pitfalls related to our work site analysis and testing procedures.”

“We are utilizing the Matheson philosophy not only for Functional Capacity Evaluation, but also for the foundation of interdisciplinary treatment of chronic pain patients at our clinic in Waltham MA, Boston PainCare. The culture of function is throughout all of our departments, interventional, functional rehabilitation, medication management, sleep, and behavioral.
Spending the week training for FCEs in Keene, NH was very exciting as it allowed me to know that we are not only on the…”

The instructors did an excellent job of breaking down the complex concepts into the most simple and understandable pieces of information. My folders of countless papers from various sources, both online and off, have been consolidated into one well-laid out reference book!

Thank you for having the Essential Function Job Analysis course available. I have been doing job analyses and post offer test formulation at my company for 8 years now and this course taught me that we need to (and will) make some adjustments to our procedures to better defend any possible legal challenges. That means a great deal to me as a business owner.

“Your webinars have made me a better evaluator and allowed me to speak intelligently to our employers and other referral sources.”

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