Total knee replacement and driving?

[Feduplandlord]

My Fil is planning to go shopping tomorrow.

He had a total knee replacement 2.5 weeks ago and is 84.

I know this is a bit late to ask but we've only just found out and to say we're a bit surprised is an understatement.

Worried about insurance and the health of the knee. His surgeon told him he could drive when he felt able. It is his right knee.

It is guidance, that is all. All this inform your insurance company is nonsense.

Some people may take weeks, probably those infirm to start with but a previously fit person can easily drive safely after 2 weeks.

'Fgs. You know all your muscles are connected right?'

Yes but I also know unless you are driving a tractor you do not flex your knee when driving or braking. It stays static, you use your foot to brake.

Yes, but your foot is connected to your ankle, connected to your fib/tib, connected to your knee.

"When you push the pedal of a car, you are using muscles in your legs and feet. The main muscle used is the quadriceps, which is the muscle in the front of the thigh. This muscle is used to straighten the leg when you push down on the pedal. Other muscles that are used include the hamstrings, which are the muscles in the back of the thigh, and the calf muscles."

https://www.osvehicle.com/how-pushing-the-pedal-of-a-car-uses-muscles-in-your-legs-and-feet/

I had a knee replacement recently and was driving after a couple of weeks. My cars an automatic and I was told I could drive when I felt up to it.

We will keep an eye on him.

He had an epidural, so hopefully wasn't too cognitively affected but we'll see over time.

Think it's more he's been stuck in with Mil and has absolutely hated asking for lifts, always been one not to ask for help.

It is interesting about insurance companies. DH recently had a "medical event" that stopped him driving and one company took his driving entitlement away and the other said they didn't want to know but if he's been told not to drive, he wasn't to drive. It was easier in that his licence was revoked, so no grey area.

I assumed an epidural would be better for cognition but it appears I'm wrong. Older paper but I assume ok?

Cognitive decline after TKR

Can't access the full text, but it's unlikely that the techniques used 27 yrs ago would be particularly relevant now. It's much more likely that he had a spinal rather than epidural unless the surgery was anticipated to be particularly long. Post-op cognitive dysfunction is a response to the physiological stress of the combined surgical insult, one aspect of which is the anaesthetic. Intuitively it makes sense that avoiding a GA should be better, but there isn't great evidence.

Re the PPs who've all done well and got back to driving quickly, they're less likely to be the same age, and probably more likely to have greater muscle bulk to start off with so aren't really comparable with an octogenarian.

The easily Googleable Royal College of Surgeons' advice re. driving after TKR is that 'Normally, it is safest to avoid driving for 8 weeks after a knee replacement. Discuss this with your insurance provider'. They also advise doing an exercise in the car before driving (sit in it with out starting it and have a bash using the pedals etc before driving). Different insurance companies may have different rules re driving post-op (and perhaps different rules for octogenarians vs. younger drivers).

I had a TKR (right leg) a couple of years ago, with a spinal block anaesthetic, and was just told I could drive when i felt able and reasonably confident. No specifics.
I think I tried it out after about two weeks, and I practiced in an empty garden centre car park first.
I am a bit younger than your fil, OP, but I had no problems.
(No cognitive issues, either.)

Yep, we read the RCS advice!

Because his surgeon said he could drive when he felt able, he felt he could...

Apparently, he's ok. DH will go see him tomorrow & check on him.

Thanks again all.

It's really helpful to get perspective.

I had one - there is no way I could have driven at 2.5 weeks but I know someone who was up and able - the only person who really knows will be your FIL

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I’d post on it just in case anyone else was looking for information on knee replacements.
I had a total right knee replacement done in September and was able to drive on day 25. I was able to do an emergency stop and felt very little pain moving my foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal. The only difficulty was getting in and out of the car without too much pain.
Everyone recovers differently from this very invasive surgery.

Actually, fil recovered very well.

He was a touch gungho to start off but then was more careful than expected.

I think the main thing is that he did not have much pain from his original knees, despite them being in very poor state, so the pain from the operation was a bit of a shock.

My mum was in terrible pain with her knees, she has a lot more inflammation, so took a long time to partially recover.

He also did his exercises & saw the physio a few extra times.