Driving after a knee or hip replacement: how long to wait and what to check

Plan on about six weeks before driving after a total knee replacement or a hip replacement, and about three weeks after a partial knee replacement. Those are the figures the NHS gives, and Arthritis UK gives the same pattern. They are starting points rather than permission slips. The NHS adds that you should check with your doctor that you are fit to drive.

What actually decides it is whether you can control the car in every situation, including an emergency stop, without pain getting in the way and without being slowed by medicines. Some people reach that point a little before six weeks and some a little after. Your physiotherapist, surgeon and insurer are the people who can confirm it for you.

Every source read for this page uses the same yardstick. Arthritis UK says you will be able to drive after a joint replacement as long as you can safely control the vehicle and do an emergency stop. The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital says you should be comfortable in the driving seat and able to safely control your car, including freely performing an emergency stop. A Worcestershire hospital leaflet for hip replacement says not to drive until you feel confident that you could perform an emergency stop without discomfort, probably at least 6 to 8 weeks after the operation.

The hospital leaflet makes a point about responsibility: ultimately it is your responsibility to ensure you are in control of your vehicle at all times and to feel confident you would be able to demonstrate this if asked.

A practical reading is to try the controls with the engine off before the first journey: sit in the car, work the pedals, check that you can press the brake firmly and quickly with the operated leg, and make sure you can turn to check blind spots. Then start with a short, familiar journey, ideally with someone alongside, rather than a long trip.

The right foot works the brake and accelerator in a manual or automatic car, so a right-sided operation is the one that most directly affects the emergency stop. Arthritis UK offers a specific exception for the left side: if you have had surgery on your left knee and drive an automatic, you should be able to drive earlier, as long as you are not taking strong painkillers. In an automatic there is no clutch pedal, so the left leg has very little to do.

The sources do not give a number of weeks for that exception, so the timing should be agreed with the team, and it still depends on being comfortable and safe at the controls.

Getting in and out of the car can be a problem in its own right after hip surgery. Arthritis UK says your therapist may suggest sitting sideways on the seat first and then swinging both legs around together. The Worcestershire leaflet advises pushing the seat as far back as it will go for leg room and getting out on level ground, away from the kerb.

The hospital guide says you should be free from pain or any effects of pain relief medication before resuming driving. That covers two separate problems. Pain can slow your reaction when you need to brake hard. Some painkillers can make you drowsy or slow your concentration. If you are still on strong painkillers, the sources point towards waiting.

Arthritis UK ties its left-knee automatic exception to not taking strong painkillers. It is worth reading the information leaflet that comes with each medicine and asking the pharmacist or the team if a particular tablet affects driving.

Both Arthritis UK and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital say to check with your insurer. The hospital notes that some companies will not insure a driver for a period of time after joint replacement surgery. Arthritis UK says to check whether you are covered during your recovery. The Worcestershire hip leaflet says it is your responsibility to check with your insurance company.

It follows that the six-week figure is a medical guide, not an insurance guarantee. If your policy has its own waiting period or conditions, those apply. It is sensible to ask the insurer in writing, and to tell the surgical team if the policy asks for a fitness-to-drive confirmation.

Both the hospital guide and Arthritis UK keep the emphasis on control rather than speed. Short journeys come before long ones. It is reasonable to avoid motorway driving, night driving or heavy traffic for the first few trips, and to stop if the knee or hip stiffens on a longer drive. Arthritis UK says you should not make major commitments, including long-haul air travel, in the first six weeks after a knee replacement, which is a reminder that long journeys of any kind are best left until recovery is further along.

If your hip or knee still feels too stiff or painful for the pedals at the point you were hoping to drive, delay and mention it at your follow-up. The NHS gives follow-up around 6 weeks for a knee replacement and around 6 to 12 weeks for a hip replacement, which is often when driving is discussed.