The merits of ergography in relation to the evaluation of disability, the quantification of exercise dosage, and the objective measurement of progress should be considered. Ergography may be useful as a guide to the medical examiner in the evaluation of the functional status of the orthopaedically disabled at the onset of treatment, the critical appraisal of end results. the determination of the end point of effective rehabilitation, and the magnitude of residual dysfunction. Although adequate management of the patient usually requires no specialized techniques to evaluate functional status, high degrees of precision in measurement are sometimes desired. Objective testing then has special merit; it enables the examiner to support his deductions with demonstrable evidence.