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When Can I Drive?: Brake Response Times After Contemporary Total Knee Arthroplasty

  • Symposium: Papers Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Knee Society
  • Published:
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®

Abstract

Background

After right total knee arthroplasty (TKA), patients are usually eager to return to driving. Previous studies suggest 6 weeks postsurgery is a safe time. However, recent advances in surgical technique, pain management, and rehabilitation have theoretically improved recovery after TKA.

Questions/purposes

We therefore determined if (1) the timeframe for return to driving, as determined by attainment of preoperative braking levels, would be shorter after contemporary right TKA than that reported previously for a traditional TKA; and (2) gender or age influence recovery of baseline response time.

Methods

Brake response times for all 29 patients undergoing right-sided TKA between January 17, 2008, and January 29, 2009, were scheduled to be measured by a trained occupational therapist before surgery and at 4, 6, and 8 weeks after surgery. For each patient, testing was discontinued once the preoperative level was achieved.

Results

All patients returned to baseline braking levels by 4 weeks after surgery. Gender and age did not influence recovery times.

Conclusions

If other requirements for driving are met, surgeons may consider allowing patients treated with contemporary right TKAs to drive 4 weeks after surgery.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mary Jo Adams, RN, and Deborah S. Diekel, MS, OTR/L, for their invaluable assistance in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Towson Orthopaedic Associates, LLC, Towson, MD, USA

    David F. Dalury MD

  2. c/o Elaine P. Henze, BJ, ELS, Medical Editor and Director, Editorial Services, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, 4940 Eastern Avenue, #A665, Baltimore, MD, 21224-2780, USA

    David F. Dalury MD

  3. Tucson Orthopaedic Institute, Tucson, AZ, 85712, USA

    Kimberly K. Tucker MD

  4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Todd C. Kelley MD

Authors
  1. David F. Dalury MD
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  2. Kimberly K. Tucker MD
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  3. Todd C. Kelley MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David F. Dalury MD.

Additional information

One or more of the authors (DFD) has received funding from DePuy.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the reporting of these cases, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participating in the study was obtained.

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Dalury, D.F., Tucker, K.K. & Kelley, T.C. When Can I Drive?: Brake Response Times After Contemporary Total Knee Arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res 469, 82–86 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-010-1507-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-010-1507-1

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