How To Survive 6 Weeks Non Weight Bearing: Practical Advice For Caregivers

Transitioning home after discharge from surgery can be challenging for both you and your care recipient. You may feel unprepared to deal with: 

  • The unknowns of the healing process
  • Helping with range of motion exercises
  • Managing your care recipient’s discomfort or pain relief
  • Assisting with mobility and daily activities
  • Other health related changes

Trualta can help. With educational tools, resources, and care coaches to answer questions, we can help you gain the knowledge and patience you need to navigate the next several weeks of the recovery process. Check if you have free access. 

What Does Non Weight Bearing Mean?

Healing from surgery can be full of challenges. Not being able to put body weight through a limb for an extended period of time can make recovery feel even harder! 

Weight bearing restrictions are rules ordered by a surgeon after an operation. They tell your care recipient how much weight they’re allowed to put on a certain body part, like their arms or legs. You might hear it called the affected leg or arm. Your care recipient needs to follow these rules for an extended period of time (determined by a surgeon) to allow the operated area time to heal properly. 

Non weight bearing means that your care recipient can’t put any weight through their affected limb. If they’re non weight bearing in their: 

  • Leg: They need to hold their foot off the floor and use a mobility device while standing or sitting.
  • Arm: They can’t lean on it, use it to push off surfaces, or carry heavy objects.

If your care recipient’s surgeon has ordered a non weight bearing period of 6 weeks, this can affect your care recipient’s mobility and daily activities. As a caregiver, you’ll likely need to take an even more active role than you had before their surgery. You and your care recipient may be wondering how to survive 6 weeks non weight bearing. 

5 Tips For How To Survive 6 Weeks Non Weight Bearing

Use these tips to help you prepare before your care recipient is discharged from the hospital. Talk to an occupational therapist (OT) or physical therapist (PT) on your care recipient’s healthcare team for additional advice and recommendations.

1. Review & Understand Surgeon’s Orders

It’s important that you and your care recipient know what movements are safe and unsafe for them to do. For example, if they are non weight bearing in their arm, they might be allowed to carry light items like a toothbrush or cup, but won’t be allowed to propel themselves in a wheelchair.

  • Review daily activities with the OT or PT before your care recipient’s discharge. Brainstorm what your care recipient needs to (or likes to) do each day and break down the movement needed for those tasks. If they require them to put weight on their affected limb, talk to the OT or PT about making adaptations.
  • Practice how to safely perform transfers, movements with a mobility aid, and other activities without putting weight through their affected limb. Do this before discharge so you can ask for guidance from the OT or PT. 
  • Write instructions on a list, ask for video demonstrations, or record a video on your smartphone.

2. Organize Your Schedule

Whether you’re a full-time caregiver or only provide assistance occasionally, your loved one will likely need more caregiving assistance while they’re non weight bearing.

With the help of the OT or PT, you can figure out what times of the day your care recipient will need more help. This can help you (and others) organize your time. For example, if your care recipient is non weight bearing in their leg, you could be available in the morning to help them:

  • Shower and get dressed
  • Carry breakfast to the table 
  • Bring dishes to the sink and help clean up
  • Get set up for the day

Keep in mind that the amount of help and supervision your care recipient needs can depend on several factors. Ask their OT or PT for recommendations. 

A young man in a blue shirt handing a meal tray to an elderly woman sitting in bed. The tray contains a sandwich, a salad, and a cup. The elderly woman, wearing glasses and a pink cardigan, is smiling and looking at the young man.

3. Get Equipped

Follow the OT’s or PT’s recommendation for equipment that will help your care recipient with daily activities during recovery. This might include some temporary changes to the home. You may be able to rent or borrow some of these types of equipment. In some cases, they may recommend more permanent changes, like installing grab bars by the toilet. Here are some examples: 

  • Mobility equipment like a walker, knee scooter, or crutches. These will help your care recipient move around without putting weight on their affected leg, ankle, or foot. 
  • Safety equipment like a toilet safety frame or tub transfer bench. These support your care recipient do activities safely without putting weight on their affected limb.
  • Assistive devices like a long-handled sponge or sock aid to help them get dressed. 

4. Prepare Your Home

Use these tips to prepare your home for your care recipient’s arrival. Many of these tips can help prevent falls. 

  • Make space. If your care recipient is using mobility equipment like a walker, they’ll need more space. Move furniture wider apart, or designate a pathway where they can move around easily. 
  • Remove tripping hazards like throw rugs, cords, pet toys, and other fall risks away from areas that your care recipient will need to access. 
  • Add lighting. Ensure lights are bright, especially in hallways, on stairs, and in doorways. Use nightlights or motion-sensor lighting at night to light the way to the bathroom. 
  • Move commonly used items to countertops to make them more accessible. This will prevent your care recipient from having to reach for the cabinets or bend. 

5. Access Support

Being non weight bearing means your care recipient must change how they do daily activities. This disruption and loss of independence can make some people feel frustrated or sad. Be there to listen and emotionally support your care recipient.

  • Hold space for their feelings. Listen actively and validate that what they’re experiencing is understandable. 
  • Recognize their efforts. This is a hard adjustment for anyone. Tell them how well they’re doing. Try to voice this while they adapt activities. 
  • Encourage them. Remind them that as long as they keep following the non weight bearing precautions and doing prescribed exercises, they’ll progress to weight-bearing soon enough. 
  • Make a fun plan. Talk about what they want to do when the precautions are lifted.

Want to access more resources to make this transition easier or chat with a care coach? Check if you have free access to Trualta. 

References

  1. https://www.uhd.nhs.uk/uploads/about/docs/our_publications/patient_information_leaflets/orthopaedics/non_weight_bearing_after_orthopaedic_surgery.pdf 
  2. https://orthonc.com/uploads/pdf/Weight-Bearing_Restrictions.pdf
  3. https://www.otdude.com/ot-practice/adls-with-upper-extremity-wrist-non-weight-bearing-precautions/  
  4. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000167.htm 
  5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020138324004698#:~:text=Participants%20typically%20had%20negative%20experiences,as%20the%20hands%20and%20back. 
  6. https://mastergrabbar.com/blog/fyi/navigating-non-weight-bearing-common-surgeries-and-injuries-in-seniors 

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