Weight bearing versus non-weight bearing total contact cast in the management of active Charcot foot: A systematic review.

Aim: Diabetic Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy carries a significant worldwide disease burden including diabetic foot infection, ulceration and amputation. The current accepted standard of treatment during the active phase of Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy is offloading with total contact casting; however, controversy remains regarding weight-bearing status during this period.

Methods: A systematic review was performed following PRISMA guidelines of Pubmed, EMBASE, MEDLINE and the Cochrane central register of controlled trials for clinical studies from inception until June 2024 investigating weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing total contact casting for active Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy.

Results: Four hundred ninety-three studies were identified in the search strategy of which 5 studies met the inclusion criteria comprising 158 patients. These studies found that allowing patients to weight-bear during total contact casting does not have a negative impact on the healing process. There were no comparative studies between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing total contact casting.

Conclusions: There is limited evidence to support current practice of non-weight bearing in a total contact casting for active Charcot neuro-osteoarthropathy. Allowing patients to weight bear carries advantages to patient independence and quality of life. Further investigation with randomised control trial should be considered to investigate if weight bearing is associated with negative outcomes.