Occupational therapists, physiotherapists and exercise physiologists often need to describe a patient's mobility and function in terms of the weight-bearing capacity of their lower limbs. Below is a table of commonly-used levels of weight bearing, their abbreviations and their definitions.
Level (Abbreviation) | Definition |
Full weight bearing (FWB) | The patient is able to place all of his or her weight on the affected lower limb/joint. |
Non-weight bearing (NWB) | The patient does not put any weight on the affected lower limb/joint. |
Partial weight bearing | The patient is able to place 25% of his or her weight on the affected lower limb/joint. |
Toe touch weight bearing | The patient places approximately 10-15% of his or her body weight on the affected lower limb/joint. The toe touches the floor surface during walking on the affected lower limb. |
Weight bearing as tolerated (WBAT) | The patient places as much weight as is tolerated on the affected lower limb. |