Abstract
An important milestone in the recovery following total knee replacement (TKR) is the
ability to return to driving. With advances in pain control and the widespread introduction
of rapid rehab programs, we hypothesized that the ability to drive would also return
sooner than had been traditionally observed. In our group of consecutive right TKR
patients, using a driving simulator, we showed that at the 2-week mark, 36 of the
40 patients tested had returned to their preoperative driving capabilities and the
other 4 had reached baseline at 3 weeks. While the eventual decision to return to
driving is complex and dependent on many factors, we conclude that one of the benefits
of enhanced pain and rehab protocols is that patients undergoing right TKR can return
to driving in most instances at the 2-week mark rather than the traditional 6-week
mark.
Keywords
total knee replacement - brake reaction time - return to driving
