Work Conditioning

After an injury or surgery, returning to your job—especially if it’s physically demanding—requires more than just healing. You need strength, stamina, and confidence. That’s where Iowa Ortho’s Work Conditioning Program comes in.

What Is Work Conditioning?
Work conditioning is a specialized, intensive physical therapy program designed to help individuals recover the physical capacity required to return to work. It’s ideal for patients who are finishing up standard rehabilitation but aren’t quite ready for the full demands of their job.

This program typically focuses on:

• Building strength, flexibility, and endurance
• Improving cardiovascular fitness
• Practicing safe lifting and movement techniques
• Simulating job-specific tasks
• Promoting safe work habits

Who Is It For?
Work conditioning is often recommended for individuals recovering from:

• Orthopedic injuries (e.g., back, shoulder, knee injuries)
• Work-related accidents
• Surgery involving bones, joints, or muscles

If you need to lift, bend, stand, climb, or move throughout the day for your job, work conditioning can help you return to full duty safely and confidently.

Tailored to Your Job and Goals
Every work conditioning plan is tailored to reflect your specific job requirements. Our physical therapists will assess your current abilities and build a program that gradually increases the intensity and complexity of tasks until you’re ready to return to work.

• Cardiovascular training for endurance
• Strength and resistance training for job-specific muscles
• Mobility and balance work to reduce injury risk
• Ergonomics education and injury prevention strategies

Team-Based Support
Our physical therapists coordinate closely with referring physicians, case managers, and employers to ensure you’re making measurable progress toward a safe return to work.