Surgical site, gender, and place of residence influence the time to resume driving after total joint arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: For a large proportion of the population, especially those residing in the countryside, the use of a car for daily activities is indispensable. Following a TKA or THA procedure, the overseeing physician will usually recommend refraining from driving, sometimes up to 12 weeks after surgery with a major social and economical impact on patient’s life. OBJECTIVE: Considering the legal stipulations in Germany regarding fitness to drive a motor vehicle, the aim of this study is to determine the time point when patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) take up driving again postoperatively. Further, we assessed the replaced joint, side, gender, place of residence and physician’s recommendations influencing the patient in making the decision to start driving again. METHODS: 92 eligible participants, contained within the frame of a prospective experimental observational study, were contacted via telephone 12 weeks after surgery and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The answers were statistically analysed using SPSS® Version 26 for Windows. RESULTS: Male participants resumed driving between the 6th and 7th week post-surgery, female participants resumed driving between the 8th and 9th week post-surgery. For 58.6% of patients the reason for the first post-operative use of a vehicle was medical: the journey to physical therapy or to a doctor’s appointment. There were statistically significant differences regarding operated side, gender and place of residence. TKA impaired patients the most. Patients recovering from a TKA drove considerably later. Patients recovering from a right sided TKA had an increased risk (9 times) not to become an “early driver”. Female patients who underwent TKA had an increased risk by a factor of 21 of becoming a “late driver”. In the ageing population, surgeons, physical therapists and rehabilitation professionals need to consider new approaches in providing options for patients’ mobility. Interestingly, there is a different need for early use of own vehicle in rural regions whereas in cities patients start driving later. There are clear differences between gender and surgical site. CONCLUSIONS: The rehabilitation following a right sided TKA proved a challenge with regard to the reuptake of driving. This should be taken into account when planning the course of therapy for patients who are driving regulary. Female patients could benefit from special training. TRIAL REGISTRATION: retrospectively registered, DRKS00018693 https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial. HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00018693. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40945-021-00111-4.