Starting to Weight Bear
20 Pounds at a Time
Start by seeing how it feels to put 20 pounds of weight on your operative foot. Wear your boot and place your operative foot only on a scale. Watch the needle on the scale until it goes to 20 pounds. Memorize what this feels like. Practice a few times and test yourself with your eyes closed: put what you think is 20 pounds of weight on your foot, then open your eyes and check the scale to see how accurate you are.
After you know what 20 pounds feels like, you can walk around your house and put 20 pounds of weight on your operative foot. You will still need to use crutches or a walker to help you get around. You should walk around with 20 pounds of weight on your operative foot for 20 minutes, five times each day.
After two to three days, you can increase the weight on your operative foot to 40 pounds. Spend some more time with the scale seeing what 40 pounds feels like. Then walk around your house five times a day for 20 minutes and put 40 pounds of weight on your foot.
Increase your weight by 20 pounds every two to three days. If you have pain, discomfort or increasing swelling, back off. Maybe increase your weight every three to four days instead. Or increase by less weight each time.
Eventually you will work your way up to your full body weight, and you can walk around without the use of crutches or a walker. You should still wear your boot until your provider says it is time to discontinue use.