Driving after orthopaedic surgery
A patient's physical and psychological capacity to drive safety is affected by orthopaedic surgery.
There are no enforced regulations regarding driving after surgery, but a safe recommencement of driving depends on your specific procedure, driving ability and advised recovery restrictions.
Goals to aim for
before recommencing driving after orthopaedic surgery:
- Being able to drive without pain
- Not needing to wear an extremity splint for recovery or pain prevention
- Movement range in the shoulder spanning to 90 degrees of abduction and 90 degrees of forwarding flexion
- Able to move the elbow to full or near full extension
- Proper hand and wrist function
- Almost equal strength in both upper limbs, which are not affected by impingement, pain or reduced muscle/nerve function
- Once the above has been achieved and you can perform regular driving motions, you must consider your reaction time. Is it affected by your surgery?
- A cast or splint must not be worn on your lower limbs, and you should not need crutches.
- Pain or reduced muscle/nerve function should not affect your lower limbs.
- You should progressively return to driving, and intensity and duration should be increased over time as comfort enables.
Things to consider before driving after orthopaedic surgery:
- Will my recovery process be impeded by my return to driving, and will my final surgical result be compromised?
- Can I safely drive? (ie. Am I able to control my vehicle in emergency situations?)
- Can I safely perform the necessary driving manoeuvres? (ie. Am I unable to drive due to temporary symptoms or a splint?)
- Do I have the necessary judgement and discernment skills for driving? (i.e., Am I consuming pain relievers that may compromise my judgement or affect my reaction time?)
Driving and Opioids
- After your surgery, you will usually consume sedative pain relievers (these have a similar effect as alcohol).
- Judgement, concentration and reaction time can be affected by these medicines.
- Do not drive when you are under the influence of these medicines.
Insurance Considerations
Please note, your normal car insurer may not cover you if:
- you are part of a car accident while you are wearing a brace or cast
- you are under the influence of sedative pain relievers that may affect your judgement or concentration
- you recently had a fractured bone and X-ray evidence displays that the injury has not fully healed
- you have undergone a "recent surgery"
A safe return to driving after orthopaedic surgery depends on:
- What type of vehicle you drive (transmission / power steering)
- Driving conditions (weather / time of day / road conditions)
- Journey length
- Postoperative pain
- Consumption of medication
- Limb function post-surgery
- Judgement skills and driving ability
Testing your capacity to drive after orthopaedic surgery
- Practice driving manoeuvers in a controlled environment, such as a car park, before driving on the road.
- You may consider recommencing driving after you can perform all manoeuvres and emergency stop movements safely and repetitively.
Australian requirements for driving:
- You must have a current driver's license valid for your vehicle.
- You must have the ability to control the vehicle in emergency conditions.
- You should be able to testify your driving abilities in a court of law.
If there is no clear definition of a "recent surgery". Speak to your car insurer for further information if you have questions. More information is available on Pubmed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23450009