General information to help you prepare for a conversation with your clinician.
The hard part may come long before a walk around the block. You get home, look at the step into the bathroom and realize you’re unsure whether you can put your operated foot on the floor.
Look for the weight-bearing instruction for that leg in your discharge paperwork. A non-weight-bearing order means keeping weight off the leg. A partial-weight-bearing order allows some load. The amount and the period of time should come from your own team. A pair of crutches sitting by the door tells you very little about which instruction applies.
Read the line back to the team
If two pages disagree or the restriction is blank, call your surgical team before trying the step. Tell them the operation, the side and the exact words on each page. Then describe the movement you need to make: “Can my right foot take any weight when I stand up from the toilet? What should I use for support?” If you can’t transfer safely, ask someone nearby for help while you get instructions.
Ask for a demonstration and a date
Ask your physical therapist to watch you do that particular movement with the equipment you’ll use at home. If stairs are the problem, describe the number of steps and where the rail is. Before the visit ends, ask when the restriction will be reviewed and who can change it. Keep that answer with the written order so the person helping you at home has the same plan.
Source
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust postoperative mobility instructions