Resumption of car driving after total hip replacement

To assess periods required for resuming car driving in 130 patients who had undergone total hip replacement (THR).

80 men and 50 women aged 39 to 80 years who had been driving automatic (n=49) or manual (n=81) cars in the previous 3 months and underwent unilateral primary THR of the right (n=85) or left (n=45) hip were recruited. Patients were advised to resume driving after 6 weeks if they felt comfortable to do so.

105 (81%) patients were able to resume driving at week 6 to 8; 67 (64%) had had a right THR and 65 (62%) were manual car drivers. 22 (17%) patients were able to do so at week 12. The remaining 3 (2%) patients were not confident to drive even at week 12. No patient reported deterioration in driving ability, whereas 48 (38%) felt a subjective improvement in their driving ability.

The time to resume driving varies in different patients. The advice should be individualised, depending on the patient's recovery and confidence level.