The goal of this systematic review was to examine existing evidence on the effectiveness of early, progressive weight bearing on patients after traumatic lower extremity fractures and relate these findings to device/implant choice. A search of the literature in PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was performed through January 2022. Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized, prospective longitudinal investigations of early, progressive weight bearing in skeletally mature adults after traumatic lower extremity fracture were included in the search, with 21 publications included in the final analysis. A summary of the loading progressions used in each study, along with the primary and additional outcomes, is provided. The progression of weight bearing was variable, dependent on fracture location and hardware fixation; however, overall outcomes were good with few complications. Most studies scored "high" on the bias tools and were predominately performed without physical therapist investigators. Few studies have investigated early, progressive weight bearing in patients after traumatic lower extremity fractures. The available clinical evidence provides variable progression guidelines. Relatively few complications and improved patient function were observed in this review. More research is needed from a rehabilitation perspective to obtain graded progression recommendations, informed by basic science concepts and tissue loading principles.
Keywords: bone healing; gait; mechanotransduction; orthopaedic; orthopedic; physical therapy.