Functional capacity evaluation of manual materials handlers: a review.

PURPOSE To summarize currently existing research regarding the assessment of functional capacity in low back injured workers. METHOD Literature review. RESULTS Methods of functional capacity evaluation are described and critical components of an examination of functional capacity identified in relationship to federal occupational categorization and guidelines. CONCLUSIONS Evaluation of the predictive validity of existing functional capacity evaluation templates is not possible given the absence of thorough descriptions in the published literature. While substantial research exists enabling comparison of the injured workers' manual materials handling ability to normative psychophysical data the validity of this approach remains uncertain.