About Us

Complete occupational health services to help reduce on-the-job injuries related costs and employee recovery time and increase productivity and hiring efficiency.

At Cedar Valley Occupational Rehab, we understand that impediments to employee health and workplace efficiency have a bottom line effect. A recent study by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses found that occupational back injuries for health care providers average $37,000 in direct costs, with indirect costs ranging from $147,000 to $300,000. Employee injuries can also reduce workplace productivity, require additional employee hires and overtime, and drive up workers’ compensation expenses, in addition to creating quality-of-life concerns for the affected employee(s). With our customized treatments, experienced specialists, and quantitative technology, we can provide an objective, efficient injury-recovery process and eliminate potential injury risks.

Our goal is to provide quality care to the injured employee to facilitate an efficient return to pre-injury level of function and work activity and to promote communication between the employee, rehab services, and the employer. We invite you to explore the services and treatments we offer to see if Cedar Valley Occupational Rehab can help your organization reach better occupational health.

Isokinetic Testing Services with Cost Reduction Technology

Many companies face a continuous challenge to control the ever-increasing costs associated with work-related injuries.  In spite of attempts to simplify jobs through ergonomic changes, safety awareness, or increased automation, the one factor that remains constant in all work-related injuries is the individual employee. We believe musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) injuries are principally caused by a mismatch between the physical ability of workers and the physical job demands. Therefore, the ability of an employer to properly match workers’ abilities to their physical job demands is a direct correlation to the frequency and severity of MSD injuries in the workplace.

When hiring for physically demanding jobs, companies must make sure the applicant has the physical capabilities to meet the physical job demands.  That’s where Cost Reduction Technologies’ (CRT) isokinetic pre-employment evaluation can be a big help. The CRT isokinetic evaluation is an objective measurement of the applicant’s muscle strength and range of motion for the knees, shoulders, and trunk. The test results determined by the CRT formula (testing knees, shoulders, trunk and functional movements) encompass over 83% of the muscle groups in the body required to perform physical activities. In an independent study, the CRT pre-employment evaluation was found to be 99.3% accurate at matching the physical capabilities of an applicant to the physical job demands.

By utilizing the science and technology of CRT’s isokinetic evaluation, we can help your business achieve:

  • A marked reduction in musculoskeletal injuries
  • Savings in workers’ compensation costs
  • Compliance with EEOC standards
  • Reduced insurance premiums
  • A safer work environment

**Cedar Valley Occupational Rehab is the exclusive provider of CRT evaluations in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area.

Discover how our isokinetic testing services can help you by clicking here.

 

Watch an isokinetic test in action, courtesy of CRT:

Ergonomic Evaluations

Proactivity in addressing ergonomic deficiencies in the workplace can be a key factor in preventing employee injuries and eliminating corresponding costs, raising productivity, and strengthening worker retention. An ergonomic assessment from Cedar Valley Occupational Rehab can help you identify and correct existing work station and office issues before they begin impairing the efficiency and wellbeing of your employees and organization.

Our occupational specialists can evaluate work settings of all types and are experienced in analyzing the physical characteristics, tasks, and work areas of employees in order to recommend and implement modifications to achieve the best ergonomic solution for all parties. These evaluations can provide solutions that may be as simple as changing positions of employees or tools or slight modification recommendations to the work space. Are your employees at risk for occupational injuries? Find out by contacting us today.

Rehabilitative Care

Occupational injuries take many forms, and Cedar Valley Occupational Rehab offers a variety of treatments to help employees restore the motion, stamina, and functionality they need to perform their work. By incorporating job specific exercise progression for soft-tissue injuries, we provide endurance and work hardening training that is customized, promotes a safe and timely return to work, and prevents future injuries and lost time. We also provide rehabilitation for a wide range of surgical and orthopedic injuries, including rotator cuff repairs, fractures, knee reconstructions and arthroscopies, and back surgeries and injuries. Once symptoms have receded, an employee recovering from injury needs to build endurance back to his or her specific work activity prior to beginning a full workday. To achieve this, we adapt our work hardening and endurance programs to best fit that worker’s tasks to reduce possibility of re-injury.

Back injury and pain are other common work-related conditions, and our rehabilitative treatments and strengthening exercises, ergonomic assessments, and lifting training will help heal soft-tissue injuries and avoid reoccurring symptoms or injuries. By designing individualized care plans and coordinating with the injured employee, physician and employer, we strive to provide the best possible recovery outcome. Contact us today to learn how our rehabilitative care services can help your employee or you achieve optimal, personalized, occupation-specific recovery.

Our Team

Providing occupational health services to promote healthy, efficient workplaces throughout the Cedar Valley

Our occupational health specialists are committed to providing quality rehabilitative care for a variety of injuries and conditions, solving efficiency and health concerns through ergonomic solutions, and using the latest quantitative measurements to track progress and promote recovery. To learn more about how our providers can put their expertise, education, and experience to work for your occupational health needs, please review their bios below.

Ray Harrington, PT

Director of Physical Therapy Services

PRACTICING SINCE:

1983

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS:

Orthopedics, shoulder and back rehabilitation

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

Fishing, drag racing and coaching baseball

EDUCATION:

Undergraduate Education
Cornell University, Mt. Vernon, IA – BS, 1981

GRADUATE EDUCATION:

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA – Certificate in Physical Therapy, 1983

EXPERIENCE

Internships:
St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA – Orthopedic Physical Therapy, 1983
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA – Cardiac Physical Therapy, 1983
St. Joseph’s Hospital, New Hampton, IA – General Physical Therapy, 1983

Professional Experience:
Director and lead therapist of Cedar Valley Physical Therapy since 1985.

Mitch Fonley, PT, MPT

PRACTICING SINCE:

2003

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS:

Outpatient orthopedics, occupational and sports rehabilitation

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

Sports, history, fishing, and family

EDUCATION:

Undergraduate Education
University of Norther Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA – BA (Biomedicine), 2000

GRADUATE EDUCATION:

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA – MS (Physical Therapy), 2003

EXPERIENCE

Internships:
Keokuk Area Hospital, Keokuk, IA – Physical Therapy, 2003
Great River Medical Center, Burlington, IA – Physical Therapy, 2003
Agape Rehab Agency, Cedar Falls, IA – Physical Therapy, 2003

David Fricke, MS, ATC, LAT

Director of Athletic Training Services

PRACTICING SINCE:

1990

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS:

Sports medicine, orthopedic bracing, occupation rehabilitation, and professional, college and high-school athletics

PERSONAL INTERESTS:

Family activities, golf, fishing, attending sporting events and keeping up with the latest injury reports and the latest trends in professional athletics.

EDUCATION:
Undergraduate Education:

Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY – BS, Athletic Training, 1990

GRADUATE EDUCATION:

University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA – MS, Athletic Training, 2006

 

Erin Renn, PTA

EXPERIENCE:

Practicing Since: 2008

EDUCATION:

Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA – AA, Physical Therapist Assistant, 2008

Mary Van Horn, PTA, ATC, LAT

EXPERIENCE:

Practicing Since: 2019

EDUCATION:

University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA – BA, Athletic Training, 2016

Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, IA – AA, Physical Therapist Assistant, 2018