Our #physiotalk tweetchat on Monday 4th December looks at the thorny question of weightbearing status.
Join in from 8-9pm GMT using the #physiotalk hashtag to discuss the pros and cons of early weight bearing following a fracture.
It is common following a fracture or other injury for a change in weight bearing to be prescribed. This is because it has been thought that increasing weight bearing would delay healing.
However a recent paper argued the opposing point of view, that early weight bearing meant was beneficial as you didn’t get the significant detrimental effects, especially in an older population, linked with prolonged immobilisation.
There is also debate around that different weight bearing status actually means – is there any consistency between partial weight bearing and toe touch weight bearing for example?
Mondays tweetchat will look at these issues and debate what is current practice, based on the recommendations below
Chat questions
Are weight bearing guidelines useful in practice?
Does your service promote an early weight bearing approach?
Are there circumstances where delaying weight bearing is beneficial?
Do you change weight bearing status depending on frailty or cognitive impairment?
Can patients differentiate between different types of weight bearing?
Resources
Weight-bearing Guidelines for Common Geriatric Upper and Lower Extremity Fractures
physiotalk 