The importance of weight bearing following a hip fracture cannot be overstated, even a period as short as 2 to 4 weeks of non-weight bearing is associated with increased mortality rates1.
What is a simple way to know when to allow someone to be weight bearing as tolerated? “If you let your patients take a poop, then you can let them weight-bear.” – Kenneth Egol MD2
This sentiment is echoed by Carole Lewis & Jason Dring, “The strain on a hip is no greater for weight bearing as tolerated than for allowing a patient to have a bowel movement in bed or on a bed pan.”2
Getting yourself moving following a surgery is paramount to recovery. Now you have the important knowledge you need to help yourself and others get back on their feet
- Ariza-Vega P, Kristensen MT, et al. Predictors of long-term mortality in older people with hip fracture. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2015: Feb 18.
- Hip Fractures: What we are doing well and what we can do better. 2015. www.greatseminarsonline.com