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Return to Driving After Hip Arthroscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Roy Assaf1, Ilan Mitchnik1, Yiftah Beer1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shamir Medical Center and Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine
|December 8, 2022
Summary
Patients can safely return to driving 2-4 weeks after right hip arthroscopy and 2 weeks after left hip arthroscopy. Driving performance, measured by brake reaction time (BRT), returns to preoperative levels, indicating safety for resuming driving post-hip surgery.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Sports Medicine
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Hip arthroscopy is a common surgical procedure.
- Surgeons have varying recommendations for returning to driving post-hip arthroscopy.
- Establishing clear guidelines for safe return to driving is crucial for patient recovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and analyze existing evidence on the optimal timing for safe return to driving after hip arthroscopy.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for postoperative driving status.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review and meta-analysis adhering to PRISMA guidelines.
- Literature search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and Cochrane databases up to August 2021.
- Inclusion of 5 studies evaluating brake reaction time (BRT) in 160 patients undergoing hip arthroscopy.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences in BRT were observed between preoperative measurements and 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks postoperatively.
- Meta-analysis indicated moderate heterogeneity among the included studies (P = .06).
- Driving performance, assessed by BRT, returned to preoperative levels within 8 weeks post-hip arthroscopy.
Conclusions:
- Return to driving is considered safe as early as 2 to 4 weeks after right-sided hip arthroscopy.
- Return to driving is considered safe as early as 2 weeks after left-sided hip arthroscopy.
- These findings support earlier return-to-driving recommendations based on objective performance measures.
