Can I still drive after joint replacement surgery?

Can I still drive after joint replacement surgery? This is indeed a question. In order to give you a satisfactory and scientific answer, the author consulted professional literature: the results are as follows (0 Chinese literature, 26 foreign literature).

With the continuous progress of medical science, joint replacement is no longer unfamiliar, which has greatly improved the quality of life of patients. At the same time, as the country becomes richer and the people become stronger, private cars have long been popular in China. Can you continue to drive after joint replacement? This issue is becoming more and more important. The answer to this question should be very cautious. Therefore, after consulting the literature, the author gives you some suggestions for reference. In the later stage, he will focus on and study the relevant knowledge in his work.

First, let’s take a look at joint replacement:

Joint replacement surgery scope: shoulder joint, elbow joint, wrist joint, hip joint, knee joint, ankle joint and other major joints in the body and interphalangeal joints, etc., with hip and knee joints being the main ones. (The above picture is a schematic diagram of hip, knee and shoulder joint replacement)

Indications for surgery: osteonecrosis, severe osteoarthritis, traumatic fractures, bone infection, bone tumors, etc., with osteonecrosis and degenerative osteoarthritis being the most common.

Postoperative efficacy: After years of clinical verification, the efficacy is reliable.

Service life: The theoretical service life of an artificial joint is 20-30 years. This conclusion is drawn based on the premise that there is no infection or loosening and on comprehensive factors such as the average activity level of middle-aged and elderly people.

[Popular Science on Artificial Joint Materials] There are three types: 1. Metal alloy materials - such as cobalt alloys and titanium alloys, which are the two most commonly used inert metals; 2. Organic polymer materials - such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and highly cross-linked polyethylene materials. Since the friction coefficient of these two materials is smaller than that of metals, they are often used as artificial joint acetabulum lining materials and knee joint metal interface friction materials; 3. Ceramic materials - it has ultra-high hardness, second only to diamond. Among them, zirconium oxide and alumina ceramics are one of the earliest ceramic materials used as biomedical materials.

Influencing factors: prosthesis material, patient basic condition, surgical technique, execution of postoperative medical instructions and other factors.

So, can I drive after joint replacement surgery?

Of course you can! Based on the literature and clinical experience, the answer is: Yes.

However, all problems cannot be generalized. They need to be analyzed and treated specifically. Only in this way can the quality of life of joint replacement patients be improved more safely and effectively. Private cars have become an important means of transportation. Whether it is from the perspective of driving safety or the safety of the patient's condition, they need to be treated with caution.

So, the question is, how long after surgery can I drive?

Due to different surgical procedures, surgical sides, surgical approaches, patient age, gender, psychological factors and many other reasons, it still requires different opinions! Everything starts with safety. If you can avoid driving, that's the best. If you have to drive, please evaluate it yourself and ensure that it is safe.

According to the statistics of literature, as early as 1988, some scholars paid attention to the impact of total hip replacement on patients' driving. The simulation driving control system was used to detect the braking reaction time of patients at different time points after surgery. The results showed that there were significant differences in the test results before and after surgery on different surgical sides. First of all, it is clear that the braking reaction time of patients after surgery is significantly prolonged. Most patients recovered 8 weeks after surgery, and a few patients on the right side did not recover until 8 months after surgery. From the results of the other two groups of studies, it can be seen that for patients with total hip replacement and total knee replacement, they can resume driving safely 3-6 weeks after surgery. At present, total knee and total hip replacement are the most numerous, and the number of other joint replacements is small. There is no relevant literature report, and its recovery time also needs our attention. Because there are too many variables involved in safe driving, it is particularly important to give reasonable personalized guidance according to the individual differences of patients. This opinion is judged by the surgeon based on the patient's age, gender, constitution, disease type, and whether there are complications? , Whether there is a history of long-term medication for chronic diseases? , The matching degree of artificial joint prosthesis, bone conditions, postoperative joint function, and the degree of muscle strength recovery. Please follow the doctor's advice on this issue. I wish all patients who have undergone joint replacement surgery to achieve complete physical and mental health!

(The pictures are from the Internet, the copyright belongs to the original author, and will be deleted in time if there is any infringement. Professional science popularization is for reference only. Please follow the doctor's advice for professional issues. The author of this article and his unit do not assume any responsibility).