When Can I Drive After Total Knee Replacement Surgery?

You may typically resume driving 6 weeks after total knee replacement surgery. In the US, some surgeons will allow people who had their left knee replacement resume driving sooner. The most important factor to getting clearance to drive is your ability to walk independently, stop narcotic pain medication, and demonstrate normal reaction times.

Driving after a total knee replacement surgery may depend on several factors.

• Duration – How long has it been since surgery
• Function – How well are you walking
• Medication – Prolonged use of narcotic medication may delay driving

Duration – How long will it take to return to driving after knee replacement?

Talk to your surgeon before surgery. Ask about your ability to return to driving. Some surgeons will recommend waiting up to 6-weeks before they approve you to return to driving [1].

One study suggests that reaction time and a patient’s ability to transfer the right leg from one pedal to another was delayed for as long as 8-weeks [2].

Function – Start driving once you are finished using a walker or cane.

Some surgeons will give patients a recommendation based on functional ability. For example, your surgeon may allow you to return to driving if you are no longer dependent on an assistive device for walking and you have discontinued the use of narcotic pain medication.

Some surgeons will change that recommendation depending on where you live in the world and which knee was replaced. Here in the United States, many surgeons will allow patients to return to driving sooner after a left total knee replacement than a right simply because the right leg is responsible for controlling the acceleration and braking systems.

Driving-after-Total-Knee-Replacement

Medication – Narcotics may cause dizziness or confusion while driving.

Some surgeons may require you to wait until you have finished using narcotic pain medication.

Usually, between weeks 6 and 10 patients have reduced their use of narcotic pain medication following a total knee replacement.

References:

1. Ellanti P, Raval P, Harrington P. Return to driving after total knee arthroplasty. Acta Orthop Traumatol Turc. 2015;49(6):593-6. doi: 10.3944/AOTT.2015.14.0307. PMID: 26511684.

2. Spalding TJ, Kiss J, Kyberd P, Turner-Smith A, Simpson AH. Driver reaction times after total knee replacement. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1994 Sep;76(5):754-6. PMID: 8083265.