When can I start driving a car after total knee replacement surgery?

In the UK it is 6 weeks if agreed by your surgeon. If you attempt to drive before your car insurance may not cover you.

Ive heard 6 weeks mentioned. I am at 8 weeks now but drove a week ago for the first time. However,driving wasnt a real priority and I feel I could have driven sooner. But I guess we are all different. If you are in pain its the last thing you want to do as far as I am concerned. 

Sandy, I had TKR on my left , two weeks ago. I asked the same question and was told without pain meds you can drive. So I drove on Sat 12 Days after surgery. With a right knee, it would be longer I assume. Hope this helps. I want to tell you my recovery is a lot faster than most. I was walking unaided after 5 days.it.Mark

6 weeks is the earliest.  I also rang and informed my insurers after both of my TKRs

I had my left TKR in Sept and was driving by 2 weeks with my doctor's ok as long as I wasn't on my narcotics. I'm 2 weeks out from my right TKR, am able to bend my knee underneath the console but definitely don't have the quad strength to work the pedals safely. I'm in the US so I'm sure the timing is different from the UK. There would never have been a reason to wait with my left one.

I had my right knee replaced and I was able to drive, without any pain medications in me of course, in three weeks time. It was advised not to drive for 6 weeks but I had good strength and flex in the knee and I only drove a short distance to the outpatient physical therapy place.

Getting to where pain meds aren't affecting vision and overall deco s ion making is one criteria. Which leg is used for driving. I'm in the U S and have an automatic. My bad leg is the left so it pays little into my driving needs. Dragging it in and out was the big thing. General rule of thumb is 6 weeks just because of all you've been through but some can do less and some more. In some areas insurance is an issue. Here auto insurers aren't involved. Then there is the big thing.........when you actually feel up to driving. Most think they can get right back to it until reality sets in and you just know its too tiring and dangerous.

Hi Sandy

After TKR I started driving after 4 weeks

best wishes

Jude (UK)

Hi Sandy. I'm just over 8 weeks now and started driving when my consultant said I could at my 6 week review.

We have notified the insurance company, but they seemed totally disinterested!.

Good luck!

Hi everyone. I waited for four weeks after my left TKR. 

I drove, just a short distance, for the first time today after my right TKR, at day 20 post op.

I have good bend and good strength and am off pain meds. I must admit that I am having an exceptionally good recovery this time, so different to the first operation.

It really does depend on your own personal recovery. 

Hello, I am 39 years old and started driving at five days post surgery. However, I have a heavy duty truck that has brake pedals that extend to the driver and down away from the driver. Also, my seat is 100%, so I leaned my seat back some, tilted the front of the seat upward & dropped the rear of seat down. This gives the perfect setup to access bother the brake and accelerator with minimal leg movement. Also, I'm young, I don't smoke or have diabetes, I heal quickly, I don't baby myself in physical therapy, so therefore my recovery from knee surgery is typically quicker than 90% of the general population (btw, this is my 7th knee surgery between both legs: 1-TKR, 3-ACL-Recons, 3-Arthroscopies).......oh, and I was off the walker and using a cane by day 5 as well :-D