Lower extremity weight bearing under various standing conditions in independently ambulatory patients with hemiparesis.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if differences exist in weight bearing through the paretic and nonparetic lower extremities during various bilateral standing conditions. We used digital scales to measure weight bearing among 25 hemiparetic patients as they stood comfortably, as they alternately shifted as much weight as possible to each lower extremity, and as they alternately stood with each foot on a step. Patients bore significantly more weight (p less than .001) on their nonparetic than on their paretic lower limb during comfortable standing. They bore significantly more weight on their nonparetic extremity when shifting as much weight as possible to it than they did on their paretic extremity when shifting as much weight as possible to it (p less than .001). They bore significantly more weight (p less than .001) on the lower extremity that was not on the step during step standing. For patients comparable to those tested, standing with one lower limb on a 17-cm step should facilitate weight bearing through the contralateral lower limb.