Driving After Hip Replacement: A Guide to Safe Return

Total hip replacement, or THR, is surgery to relieve pain in a hip damaged by arthritis or injury. The surgeon removes the top of the femur, or thigh bone, and replaces it with an implant or prosthesis. The surgeon also puts a cup in the acetabulum or hip socket. These parts replace the damaged hip.

Because there is a high risk of dislocating the new hip in the first weeks after a THR, patients must avoid certain movements. These restrictions, called precautions, affect the way recovering patients complete some everyday tasks.

Things You'll Need

• Walker, crutches or cane if needed

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Instructions

• 1

  Wait four to six weeks to give the soft tissue time to heal.

• 2

  Stop taking pain medicine. These medications affect reaction time and make driving dangerous.

• 3

  Practice entering and exiting the car. You must be comfortable doing these tasks without assistance and following all precautions.

  To get in, face away from the car. Back up to the seat. Sit down with your feet outside the car. With knees together, lean back slightly, and rotate to put your feet on the floor near the pedals. To exit, reverse these actions.

  If using a walker, crutches or cane, you must also be able to stow these items in the car and retrieve them.

• 4

  Adjust the driver's seat to keep the hip at an angle of greater than 90 degrees. Make sure that you can reach the pedals easily.

• 5

  Practice moving your right foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal and applying pressure to each one. If you experience any pain or discomfort, you aren't ready to drive.