Everyone dislikes the idea of being immobile. In fact, we have so many things to do and places to drive to. When someone inadvertently fractures their foot on the job or at play, the most common question being asked is: how soon can I drive after breaking my foot? Or, how soon can I drive after foot surgery?
A fracture or a broken foot is never easy to deal with and there is no simple answer to that question of how soon can I drive after breaking my foot? As, the answer depends on which foot is injured, whether the injured leg will obstruct your ability to drive, or whether medication is needed to ease the pain caused by the injury.
How Soon Can I Drive After Breaking My Foot?
According to doctors asked, there are no widely accepted return-to-driving timelines for anyone who must wear casts or controlled ankle-motion boots.
Whether someone is recovering from a sprain or fracture, the ability to steer, glance at mirrors, brake and accelerate safely is a serious consideration. In addition, whether you will have to take powerful medication to ease the resulting pain from the injury is yet another important factor to consider.
Give me a few minutes reading time to share the information I have gathered with you. Let me drive into the options that may be most suitable for your circumstances.
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Let me get straight to the point, there’s no one answer as to, how soon can I drive after breaking my foot, as there are a number of factors to be considered.
These factors include, which leg is injured, how much pain are you experiencing and will the pain distract you from paying attention to the road, whether it is allowable by your insurance company and supported by your doctor for you to drive with a fracture to your lower body.
A fracture to your lower body will affect your ability to drive. Therefore, after suffering a fracture in your lower body – leg, foot or ankle, you will have to consider each factor carefully.
Can I drive with my left foot or right foot injured?
Need to drive but you have a broken foot? Here are a few things that you will have to consider to remain safe and legal on the road.
Can you drive with a boot on your right foot
There are a few grey areas that you have to consider to decide whether it is safe to drive or not. If your right foot is in a brace or a cast you should not drive.
It is your right foot that is responsible for maneuvering the car’s foot pedals. With a controlled ankle movement (CAM) boot one the full motion in your ankle will be restricted.
Driving with a cast will serve as an obstruction to your ability to drive. We may safely drive with a broken right foot when autonomous vehicles become commonplace.
Can you drive with a broken left foot
You may be able to drive your car if your driving foot is not injured. If you are driving an automatic car, only your right foot is active. And, in this case you may be able to drive.
However, If you are driving a standard car, a vehicle with a stick shift, you may not be able to drive. That is because the left foot will be needed to actively maneuver the clutch pedal in the car in order to change gears.
In this instance, driving with a broken left leg is a definite no. In a standard car, it is also a no, to the questions of driving with a broken leg, foot or ankle
Read my article titled, Can you drive with a broken left foot? Or is it just too risky, that you give you a few statistics as to the exact way braces may impact your driving?
Experiencing pain and have to take narcotic medication
Some people experience severe pain in the early stages of suffering the broken foot. For some, the pain can be so severe that they have to take narcotic pain-killers to ease the pain.
Most medications have a warning on the label.
If your warning label may state that you should not drive or operate heavy machinery. If that is the advice then you should follow the instructions. Pain killers will decrease your ability to react and therefore significantly increase your chances of meeting into an accident.
Is it legal or safe to drive with a broken foot?.
It’s important to note that you should check with your doctor before driving after such a severe injury. There could be a possibility that your insurance could be void if you are driving with a cast and it can be proven that you were not in control of your car.
Is it safe for me to drive?
You may have to ask yourself this question: is it safe for me to drive with a broken foot? The only safe way to test this presupposition is to go out there, maybe in a park or somewhere safe and do a test drive.
Test your ability to safely and adequately maneuver the vehicle. It is a new situation for you to drive with a brace on your legs.
The experience is so different and unfamiliar. Your readiness to drive will depend on whether the brace on your leg will impede your ability to apply the brakes or the acceleration pedal of the car in a safe manner.
You have to consider also if you can comfortably move your lower body with the right range of motion, if you can do this then you are more than likely be able to safely get behind the wheel of a car.
What happens if the police pull you over
Always get written permission for your doctor if you are driving with a cast. It may sometimes be required by your insurance company to prove that it is safe to get behind the wheel of a car.
A police officer may require the same thing if you happen to get pulled over while driving with a broken leg. They want to know that you are able to fully control the vehicle. If you can’t then you may be in a bit of a bother. If you can control the vehicle properly then you may be ok. Check with your local doctor though, just to be on the safe side.
How soon can I drive when the cast is removed.
When the cast is removed you may not immediately be ready for driving. The muscles in your leg may be weak, you were not using those muscles for the last six to nine weeks.
You will, therefore, need to regain the strength in your legs before getting behind the wheel of a car.
When can I drive after broken ankle, tibia or fibula
For foot Fractures it may be necessary for you to wait for about six weeks after your cast is removed, assuming normal walking has returned.
For ankle fractures you may have to wait a bit longer, for example, you may be required to wait for at least nine weeks before returning to your regular driving routines.
Nine weeks may seem like a long time but in an instance, it will be nine weeks.
Conclusion
Before reaching for your car keys always use wisdom. You know your body and can decide whether or not it is safe for you to drive.
When in doubt about your ability to control a car, it’s always wise to turn to a friend, family member for a little assistance …If all else fails, hail a taxi service like Uber or Lyft to take you to the place that you need to go to!
Can I drive with a moon boot on? Don’t worry about it the time will pass quickly and you will be back to your old self again.
Source:Wells.blog | Elmhurst & Oak Park | Bootwalker
