Weight-bearing status

Weight-bearing status tells you how much weight you're allowed to put through a healing bone or joint, usually after a fracture or surgery. Your doctor or surgeon sets this based on how the bone or hardware is healing and whether it can safely handle load. It's a temporary instruction, not a permanent limit, and it typically changes as healing progresses.

The common categories are non-weight bearing (no weight at all through the limb, using crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair), partial weight bearing (a set percentage or amount of body weight, often guided by feel or a scale), weight bearing as tolerated (you decide based on comfort), and full weight bearing (normal weight, no restrictions). Each stage matches the expected strength of the healing bone or fixation.

Following your weight-bearing status matters because too much load too soon can shift hardware or re-break a healing bone, while too little movement for too long can contribute to muscle weakness and disuse-related bone loss. Physical therapists and surgeons use these stages, along with mobility aids like crutches or a walker, to balance safe healing with steady progress back to normal activity.