Abstract
This research study evaluated the effectiveness of teaching individuals unilateral lower extremity partial weight-bearing (PWB) in stance using the scale-technique and hand-pressure technique. After fracture or surgery, it is common for a patient to be limited in weight-bearing. When individuals place more then the prescribed weight-bearing there may be a greater risk for healing complications. A convenience sampling was used to gather 28 college students. Participants were instructed in the scale-technique and the hand-pressure technique at 20 pounds of weight-bearing as instructed by the scale- or hand-pressure technique. A frequency count of the number of trials greater than or equal to 25 pounds from each level of the independent variable was performed, followed by a Chi-square test of independence, to determine whether participants who received the scale instruction technique demonstrated excessive weight bearing more often than participants who received the hand-pressure technique. Twenty-five of the 84 scale-technique trials (29.76%) were observed to be ≥ 25 lbs.; 33 of the 84 hand-pressure-technique trials (39.39%) were observed to be ≥ 25 lbs. A significant association between the PWB instructions taught and the probability of excessive partial weight-bearing was not found. A paired t-test demonstrated that although the 28 participants bore nearly 4 lbs. less weight after instruction in the scale-technique than after instruction in the hand-pressure technique (M=26.72 lbs., SD+ 13.83 vs. M=22.85 lbs., SD+13.83 lbs.), the difference was not clinically significant.