Age and gender normative data for lift capacity

Area of Science:

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Occupational Health
• Biomechanical Engineering

Background:

• Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) are essential in physical medicine for determining an individual's work capacity.
• Lift capacity is a critical component of many FCEs, yet normative data for age and gender are scarce.
• The lack of normative data hinders accurate interpretation of lift capacity test results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety, reliability, and validity of the EPIC Lift Capacity test.
• To establish normative data for lift capacity based on age and gender.
• To provide a standardized tool for functional capacity evaluations.

Main Methods:

• A test-retest design was employed with 4,443 healthy adult participants.
• Lift capacity was measured twice to evaluate test-retest reliability and safety.
• Participant age, gender, and self-reported job physical demands were collected to assess validity.

Main Results:

• The EPIC Lift Capacity test demonstrated high safety and reliability across its sub-tests.
• Significant differences in lift capacity were observed between different age and gender groups, aligning with expectations.
• The test effectively differentiated lift capacities based on demographic factors.

Conclusions:

• The EPIC Lift Capacity test is confirmed as a safe and reliable instrument for assessing lifting abilities.
• The study presents normative data, enabling comparisons within specific age and gender cohorts.
• This provides clinicians with a valuable tool for accurate functional capacity evaluations.