Reuters Health reports on the findings of a study evaluating the time taken for patients following hip or knee replacement surgeries to return to driving, and indicate this timing is much quicker (about four weeks), as opposed to current guidelines recommending 6-8 weeks.

Reuters Health spoke to Michael M. Alexiades, MD, hip and knee surgeon at HSS, who wasn’t involved in the study to comment on the findings. “Most surgeons do not stick to the recommendation of waiting six weeks, and instead provide a general guideline, letting patients decide when to get back on the road,” noted Dr. Alexiades. “A lot of surgeons hesitate to give patients a definitive time to return to driving,” explained Dr. Alexiades.

Dr. Alexiades concluded, “The reality of the situation is they’re driving earlier today than what is recommended, but the question as to whether they are truly ready to return to driving in that time period still has to be answered.”

Read the full article at Reuters.com.