title: Timeframe for return to driving for patients with minimally invasive knee arthroplasty is associated with knee performance on functional tests.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study hopes to establish the timeframe for a safe return to driving under different speed conditions for patients after minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty and further explores how well various kinds of functional tests on knee performance can predict the patients' braking ability.
  
  
  METHODS
  14 patients with right knee osteoarthritis were included in the present study and instructed to perform three simulated driving tasks at preoperative, 2 weeks postoperative and 4 weeks postoperative.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the total braking time at 4 week postoperative has attained the preoperative level at the driving speed 50 and 70 km/hr but not at the driving speed 90 km/hr. It had significantly improving in knee reaction time and maximum isometric force at 4 weeks postoperative. Besides, there was a moderate to high correlation between the scores of the step counts and the total braking time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Summary, it is recommended that driving may be resumed 4 weeks after a right knee replacement but had to drive at low or moderate speed and the best predictor of safety driving is step counts.
authors.forename: Hsuan-Ti
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jing-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Wei-Tso
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Ying-Yi
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lan-Yuen
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Sports Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 701, Taiwan. wenlanwu@kmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Wen-Lan
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001334:Automobile Driving; D056228:Feedback, Sensory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011434:Proprioception; D011930:Reaction Time; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors