Weight bearing
Full Weight Bearing (FWB)[edit | edit source]
No restriction to weight-bearing, interchangeable with the term weight bear as tolerated (WBAT). 100% of body weight can be transmitted through the designated limb to be "full weight bearing".
Partial Weight Bearing (PWB)[edit | edit source]
PWB is a broad term and can range from anything greater than non-weight bearing to anything less than full weight bearing. Most of the definitions in literature define partial weight bearing as from 30% to 50% of body weight. PWB may be recommended during fracture rehabilitation, following osteotomies and orthopaedic procedures[1] and is usually accompanied by a percentage figure to further describe the extent of weight bearing recommended. For example, PWB <50%.
Touch Weight Bearing (TWB)[edit | edit source]
TWB is poorly defined in the available literature. Hershko et al. defines it as up to 20% of body weight however others define TWB as a numerical value up to around 20kg.[2] Sometimes the clinician will recommend a percentage to define the limits of weight bearing For example, TWB 10% only.
Non Weight Bearing (NWB)[edit | edit source]
NWB status means the patient will not be able to put any weight through the limb and therefore will require crutches or other assistive devices to mobilise.
References[edit | edit source]
Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
