FCE Fundamentals & Core Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In FCE terminology, 'positional tolerance' refers to a client's ability to:
- Maintain a specific posture for a defined period of time (Correct answer)
- Tolerate painful positions without reporting discomfort
- Alternate between sitting and standing freely
- Adjust workstation height independently
Correct answer: Maintain a specific posture for a defined period of time
Positional tolerance measures how long a client can sustain postures such as sitting, standing, or kneeling without needing a break.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the 'kinesiophysical' approach to FCE?
- It relies exclusively on client self-report to set test endpoints
- It uses physiological and movement-based observations to establish safe test endpoints (Correct answer)
- It applies only to clients with musculoskeletal injuries
- It requires a physician to supervise all lifting tests
Correct answer: It uses physiological and movement-based observations to establish safe test endpoints
The kinesiophysical approach sets test endpoints based on observable physical signs such as altered biomechanics and physiological responses, not solely on pain reports.
Question 3: A Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) job analysis is used in FCE primarily to:
- Determine the client's eligibility for workers' compensation
- Compare the client's functional abilities to standardized job demands (Correct answer)
- Establish the diagnosis driving the functional limitations
- Identify the client's preferred return-to-work position
Correct answer: Compare the client's functional abilities to standardized job demands
DOT job descriptions provide standardized physical demand data that FCE results can be matched against to determine work capacity.
Question 4: The Functional Capacity Evaluation is considered a 'snapshot' assessment because:
- It can only be completed in a single day
- It reflects a client's performance at one point in time and may not capture daily variability (Correct answer)
- Evaluators take photographs of the client performing tasks
- Results are only valid for 24 hours post-evaluation
Correct answer: It reflects a client's performance at one point in time and may not capture daily variability
FCE results represent performance on the day of testing and may vary with pain fluctuation, medication effects, and effort level over time.
Question 5: Which musculoskeletal principle explains why a worker is at greater injury risk when lifting with the load far from the body?
- Viscoelastic creep
- Moment arm effect (Correct answer)
- Stretch-shortening cycle
- Force-velocity relationship
Correct answer: Moment arm effect
Increasing the horizontal distance between the load and the spine increases the moment arm, exponentially raising compressive forces on lumbar structures.
Question 6: In FCE practice, 'sub-maximal effort' is MOST reliably identified through:
- Client verbal reports of fatigue
- Inconsistencies between repeated tests and physiological indicators (Correct answer)
- Evaluator subjective impression of the client's motivation
- The treating physician's chart notes
Correct answer: Inconsistencies between repeated tests and physiological indicators
Comparing repeated test results and monitoring heart rate, grip strength variability, and coefficient of variation provides objective evidence of sub-maximal effort.
Question 7: Which statement about FCE use in Social Security Disability evaluations is MOST accurate?
- FCE results automatically qualify a claimant for disability benefits
- FCEs provide objective functional data that SSA adjudicators may consider alongside medical evidence (Correct answer)
- SSA requires an FCE before approving any disability claim
- FCEs are not recognized as evidence in SSA proceedings
Correct answer: FCEs provide objective functional data that SSA adjudicators may consider alongside medical evidence
While not mandatory, FCE results can be submitted as objective functional evidence that SSA considers when determining residual functional capacity.
FCE Fundamentals & Core Principles 3
In FCE terminology, 'positional tolerance' refers to a client's ability to: