RT Journal
A1 Rodriguez, Edward K.
T1 Commentary on an article by MAJ Justin Orr, MD, et al.: “The Effect of Immobilization Devices and Left-Foot Adapter on Brake-Response Time”
JF The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
JO The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
YR 2010
FD December 15
VO 92
IS 18
SP e38 1
OP 2
DO 10.2106/JBJS.J.01404
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.J.01404
AB 
There is in the orthopaedic community increasing interest in how to accurately determine when a patient who has undergone surgery or has recovered from a musculoskeletal condition may return to driving in a safe manner. This decision can carry major implications with regard to patient and public safety and traditionally has been based on clinical judgment rather than clinical data. Physician recommendations have been highly variable1 and have been made primarily on the basis of individual physician experience and knowledge of the patient's limitations and injuries. Recommendations are usually offered with the implicit understanding that compliance is, ultimately, the patient's responsibility. Furthermore, without standardized guidelines or hard clinical data to support it, the orthopaedist's recommendation on when the patient can safely return to driving is often met with opposition by the patient and is rarely definitive, often resulting in a "negotiation" that reaches a mutually acceptable compromise between physician and patient.