Return to Driving after Elective Foot and Ankle Surgery: A Systematic Review

Abstract

(1) Background: This systematic review summarizes the available studies investigating when it is safe for most patients to return to driving and when to modify for individual patients following elective foot and ankle procedures. (2) Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed using three different electronic databases to identify English-language studies from 1999 to present that investigate the return to driving after right-sided elective foot and ankle procedures. (3) Results: A total of eight studies met inclusion criteria. All the studies investigated brake reaction time (BRT) as measured by a driving simulator as their primary outcome. Patients undergoing right ankle or subtalar arthroscopy should wait 2 weeks to drive, after total ankle arthroplasty or corrective hallux valgus surgery patients should wait 6 weeks, and the appropriate time to return to driving after ankle arthrodesis is still uncertain. Additionally, various clinical factors can be used to predict who may still be unfit to drive past the usual length of time. (4) Conclusions: The recommendations from these reviewed studies can guide physicians when counseling their patients on when they can expect to safely return to driving after a specific elective foot and ankle procedure. However, these recommendations should be tailored to the patient specifically based upon how they are doing clinically.