Abstract
1 . A preliminary report is presented of a clinical trial to compare the results of early and late weight bearing in randomly selected patients of comparable age groups whose displaced femoral neck fractures were treated by internal fixation with a sliding nail-plate.
2. When 124 patients were assessed at three months and 107 at six months after operation there was no significant difference between those who started unguarded weight bearing two weeks after operation and those who avoided weight bearing for three months.
3. Early weight bearing appears to have no harmful effect on the early post-operative stability of this fracture when a sliding nail-plate is used for fixation.
4. Further information is necessary before any conclusion can be reached about the effect of early weight bearing on the ultimate fate of the fracture and of the femoral head. For this reason, and also to increase the numbers of patients in the series, the trial is continuing and the patients are being followed up for a three-year period.
