Assessment of Return To Driving After Anterior Cruciate reconstruction

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is widely performed in France in young active patients. The delay in resuming driving after the operation is a frequent issue in this population. There is no clear recommendation on this subject. The main purpose of this study was to determine the average time taken to resume driving postoperatively in patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

In total, 54 ACL were included in a prospective, single centre, multioperator observational study. The mean age of the patients at the time of surgery was 28.9 ± 8.3 years old (18, 55). Data on behavior and functional scores were collected prospectively at the time of inclusion. Patients were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire concerning their driving habits preoperatively, at 6 weeks and at 3 months, the ACL-RSI questionnaire and the IKDC score preoperatively and at 3 months. Factors that could influence the return to driving included sex, age, BMI, operated side, surgical technique, association with anterolateral ligament reconstruction or meniscal suture, time of tourniquet, number of years driving license, frequency of vehicle use pre-operatively, manual or automatic gearbox, and pre-operative sporting ability.

The mean time to return to driving was 4.4 weeks ± 2.33 (1, 11) for the 50 patients (93%) who returned to driving. No road accidents were reported. Four out of 54 patients had not returned to driving at 3 months. Mean knee flexion was 125.7 ° ± 9.48 (100, 140. The ACL-RSI score was 56.5 ± 19.6 (10.6, 94.1) and the IKDC score was 65.1 ± 14.3 (43.7, 93.1). There was no difference between the ACL groups with or without meniscal suture. Among the factors studied, only sport level favored an earlier resumption of driving.

Resumption of driving after ACL reconstruction surgery varies and must be discussed with the patient. In clinical practice, a period of 4 weeks may be adopted.

IV; prospective cohort study.