Driving allows us to get where we want when we want, and you may find that you lose a little bit of independence if you are unable to drive for one reason or another. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that one of the most common questions we field from patients who are considering shoulder replacement surgery is “when will I be able to drive again after surgery?”
While there is never an exact timeline that we can give because individual factors will come into play, we do touch on the topic of driving after surgery during our pre-op consultation so that you can better understand your limitations and what to expect in regards to driving after surgery. We wanted to condense that information into a singular blog, so below, we take a look at what you should know about driving after total shoulder replacement surgery.
4 Things To Know About Driving After Total Shoulder Replacement Surgery
Let’s take a look at four key points we always emphasize to patients who are considering or planning to undergo minimally invasive shoulder replacement surgery:
- You’ll Need A Driver To Take You Home – Due to the effects of the anesthesia and the necessary trauma to the shoulder region, you will not be able to drive yourself home after your shoulder replacement procedure. Plan ahead so that you have a ride home after your operation. We cannot stress this enough, and it’s a point we make abundantly clear during your pre-op consults.
- Your Doctor Will Give You Driving Clearance – You should not drive until you have been given clearance by your surgeon. With a minimally invasive procedure, this clearance can come as early as two weeks after your operation, but a number of individual factors will play into this clearance, and it’s not uncommon for patients to need 6-8 weeks before they are cleared for driving. Do not drive until your doctor has assessed your recovery and determined that your shoulder can handle what’s required behind the wheel.
- No Driving While On Prescription Pain Medications – You will be given some medications to help manage post-op pain and discomfort. Depending on your recovery and personal pain tolerance, it’s possible that you will no longer be taking prescription pain medications by the time you are cleared for driving. If these two situations will overlap, do not drive while under the influence of your pain medications. Doing so could lead to a DUI or more severe issues if you cause an accident. Driving while taking an appropriate amount of over-the-counter pain relievers is typically fine, but know how a medication affects you before you get behind the wheel, and follow the specific directions on any medication that you take.
- Avoid Manual Transmissions For A While – We respect that you have mastered the seemingly lost art of driving a vehicle with a manual transmission, but these vehicles will need to be avoided for a little while longer if your right shoulder was replaced. Shifting gears would put excessive stress on your recovering shoulder, so you’ll need to wait for additional clearance before driving these types of vehicles. If you have a manual transmission vehicle or you operate farm equipment or something similar that requires you to shift gears with your right arm, talk with your doctor so that they can explain when you’ll be cleared for this additional driving task.
We understand that you want to get back to driving after shoulder replacement surgery, but don’t put your shoulder, yourself and other drivers at risk because you drove before you were medically cleared to do so. We’ll do everything we can to help move your recovery along and get you back to driving, but know that this won’t happen overnight. For more information about shoulder replacement surgery or your recovery after the operation, reach out to Dr. Holloway and his team today at (865) 410-7887.
