Left- vs right-sided arthroplasty: Who drives sooner?

Self-reported driving patterns suggest earlier return may be feasible, although safety was not directly assessed.

1

In a prospective cohort study of 306 licensed drivers, most patients resumed driving within 6 weeks after fast-track hip or knee arthroplasty.
2

Median time to driving resumption was 4 weeks after medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and 6 weeks after total hip or total knee arthroplasty.
3

Median time to driving resumption was 4 weeks after left-sided surgery and 6 weeks after right-sided surgery.
4

Female patients had 2.8 times the odds of delaying driving resumption beyond 6 weeks compared with male patients.
5

Two patients (0.7%) reported postoperative traffic incidents, but driving performance was not objectively assessed and the findings do not establish the safety of earlier driving.

1