Observer-reported outcome measures showed that patients ’ driving abilities often are impaired when wearing an immobilizing cast above or below the elbow or a shoulder sling on their dominant arm .
Conclusions The available evidence provides a best-case scenario for when patients can return to driving .
Survey data suggest that patients are returning to driving before observer-reported outcome measures have normalized , indicating that physicians should tell patients to wait longer before driving .
Background Patients often ask their doctors when they can safely return to driving after orthopaedic injuries and procedures , but the data regarding this topic are diverse and sometimes conflicting .
Some studies provide observer-reported outcome measures , such as brake response time or simulators , to estimate when patients can safely resume driving after surgery , and patient survey data describing when patients report a return to driving , but they do not all agree .
We performed a systematic review and quality appraisal for available data regarding when patients are safe to resume driving after common orthopaedic surgeries and injuries affecting the ability to drive .
Questions / purpose sBased on the available evidence , we sought to determine when patients can safely return to driving after ( 1 ) lower extremity orthopaedic surgery and injuries ; ( 2 ) upper extremity orthopaedic surgery and injuries ; and ( 3 ) spine surgery .
When Is It Safe to Return to Driving After Spinal Surgery?
Study Design Prospect i ve study . Objective Surgeons ’ recommendations for a safe return to driving following cervical and lumbar surgery vary and are based on empirical data . Driver reaction time ( DRT ) is an objective measure of the ability to drive safely . There are limited data about the effect of cervical and lumbar surgery on DRT . The purpose of our study was to use the DRT to determine when the patients undergoing a spinal surgery  may safely return to driving . Methods We tested 37 patients ’ DRT using computer software . Twenty-three patients ( mean 50.5 ± 17.7 years ) received lumbar surgery , and 14 patients had cervical surgery ( mean 56.7 ± 10.9 years ) . Patients were compared with 14 healthy male controls ( mean 32 ± 5.19 years ) . The patients having cervical surgery were subdivided into the anterior versus posterior approach and myelopathic versus nonmyelopathic groups . Patients having lumbar spinal surgery were subdivided by decompression versus fusion with or without decompression and single-level versus multilevel surgery . The patients were tested preoperatively and at 2 to 3 , 6 , and 12 weeks following the surgery . The use of opioids was noted . Results Overall , the patients having cervical and lumbar surgery showed no significant differences between pre- and postoperative DRT ( cervical p = 0.49 , lumbar p = 0.196 ) . Only the patients having single-level procedures had a significant improvement from a preoperative DRT of 0.951 seconds ( st and ard deviation 0.255 ) to 0.794 seconds ( st and ard deviation 0.152 ) at 2 to 3 weeks ( p = 0.012 ) . None of the other subgroups had a difference in the DRT . Conclusions Based on these findings , it may be acceptable to allow patients having a single-level lumbar fusion who are not taking opioids to return to driving as early as 2 weeks following the spinal surgery
Observer-reported outcome measures showed that patients ’ driving abilities often are impaired when wearing an immobilizing cast above or below the elbow or a shoulder sling on their dominant arm .
Conclusions The available evidence provides a best-case scenario for when patients can return to driving .
Survey data suggest that patients are returning to driving before observer-reported outcome measures have normalized , indicating that physicians should tell patients to wait longer before driving .
Background Patients often ask their doctors when they can safely return to driving after orthopaedic injuries and procedures , but the data regarding this topic are diverse and sometimes conflicting .
Some studies provide observer-reported outcome measures , such as brake response time or simulators , to estimate when patients can safely resume driving after surgery , and patient survey data describing when patients report a return to driving , but they do not all agree .
We performed a systematic review and quality appraisal for available data regarding when patients are safe to resume driving after common orthopaedic surgeries and injuries affecting the ability to drive .
Questions / purpose sBased on the available evidence , we sought to determine when patients can safely return to driving after ( 1 ) lower extremity orthopaedic surgery and injuries ; ( 2 ) upper extremity orthopaedic surgery and injuries ; and ( 3 ) spine surgery .