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Safe driving recommendations following lower extremity orthopedic surgery: a systematic review

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European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

We analyzed the published literature on return-to-driving (RTD) recommendations following lower extremity orthopedic surgery, including knee and hip arthroplasty and ankle and foot surgery.

Methods

We conducted a PubMed MEDLINE database search for the relevant literature spanning from 1988 to 2022. Data were extracted from the selected articles independently by six investigators, and the mean, standard deviation, and range of RTD recommendations for each surgical region and procedure were calculated.

Results

The 34 studies included in our review evaluated brake response time, reaction time, movement time, braking force, and other parameters. Average RTD recommendations in weeks were: hip surgeries, 4.1 (± 2.7); foot surgeries, 6.67 (± 0.94); Achilles surgeries, 6.67 (± 0.25); ankle surgeries, 4 (± 2); knee surgeries, 5.42 (± 0.77); and multiple lower extremity surgeries, 3.85 (± 0.15).

Conclusion

Our findings can assist physicians in providing informed recommendations to patients, promoting safe driving practices, and optimizing postoperative recovery.

Level of evidence

Therapeutic, Level III: Retrospective comparative study.

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Data availability

The articles used are cited in the manuscript.

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Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. Navneet K. Venugopal and Sean O’Leary are contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. John Sealy School of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA

    Navneet K. Venugopal, Sean O’Leary, Adam Husain, Roshan B. Tom & Shiva A. Nuti

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 1005 Harborside Dr, Fifth Floor, Galveston, TX, 77555, USA

    Ariadna Robledo

  3. Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 700 Harborside Drive, Ewing Hall 1.134, Galveston, TX, 77555-1148, USA

    Daniel C. Jupiter

  4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd, Route 0165, Galveston, TX, 77555-0165, USA

    Daniel C. Jupiter & Vinod K. Panchbhavi

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  1. Navneet K. Venugopal
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Contributions

NV and SL led the project, contributing to data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, resources, validation, visualization, and writing-original draft preparation. AR, AH, RT, and SN contributed to formal analysis, data curation, and manuscript writing and editing. DJ contributed to formal analysis, methodology, and manuscript preparation. VP oversaw the project, leading in conceptualization, methodology, and manuscript development.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sean O’Leary.

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Conflict of interest

Vinod K Panchbhavi is an editor for Lippincott Williams and Wilkins publisher and has received consulting fees, honoraria, and financial support for food and beverage, lodging, and education from Stryker Corporation, Trilliant Surgical, MedShape Inc., Paragon 28, Crossroads Extremity Systems LLC, 3D Systems, Medinc of Texas, DePuy Synthes Sales, and Integra LifeSciences Corporation unrelated to this study. The other authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethics approval

This is a systematic/literature review and did not involve human subjects. The University of Texas Medical Branch Institutional Review Board has confirmed that no ethical approval is required.

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Not required. This study was a literature review and did not involve human subjects.

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Not required. This study was a literature review and did not involve human subjects.

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Venugopal, N.K., O’Leary, S., Robledo, A. et al. Safe driving recommendations following lower extremity orthopedic surgery: a systematic review. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 34, 59–66 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-023-03705-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-023-03705-9

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