News Releases - 2006

September 7 , 2006

Losing Your Legs Doesn’t Mean Losing Your Wheels
New Study Shows 80% of Leg Amputee Patients Quickly
Return to Driving

Toronto – A new study by researchers at West Park Healthcare Centre shows that most patients who lose a leg return to driving within four months of amputation.

Being able to drive is important to a patient’s independence and their ability to reintegrate back into society. For Art Heaselgrave, it also meant a paycheque.

The Orangeville truck driver and avid motorcyclist didn’t let the amputation of his right leg get in the way of putting the pedal to the metal. “I can drive just as well as anyone else,” says Heaselgrave, one of five right-leg amputees in Ontario to hold a “Class A” license.

The research, published in the September issue of Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is the first of its kind and involved 123 outpatients attending West Park’s amputee and prosthetics clinic.

“This gives us some scientific information to assist in decision making regarding a return to the road,” said Dr. Michael Devlin, a physiatrist at West Park Healthcare Centre and the study’s senior author.

The study showed that 80.5 per cent of participants were able to return to driving an average of 3.8 months after the amputation. Of the nearly 20 per cent who didn’t return to driving, most cited their reason as a preference for public transit, lack of confidence, or a fear of driving.

Of those who returned to driving after their right leg or foot was amputated, 40 per cent required modifications to their vehicles, such as left-sided gas pedals or hand controls. The rest learned to control the pedals using their left foot, their right prosthesis or a combination of the two.

Little research has been done regarding driving safety and amputation, although Canadian medical guidelines state people with amputation below the knee usually can drive any class of motor vehicle. Nineteen out of the 20 study participants required to take a formal driving test passed successfully.

In 2004-05, there were nearly 2,400 leg or foot amputations in Ontario, mainly due to diabetes.

West Park Healthcare Centre provides specialized rehabilitation, complex continuing care and long term care services, helping people overcome their health barriers to live the fullest lives possible after the onset of an illness or injury. The centre is also recognized internationally for its expertise and research in respiratory medicine, particularly for its care for people with tuberculosis, and its rehabilitation services for those with emphysema and chronic bronchitis (known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD).

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For more information, please contact:

Vince Rice, Acting Director, Public Relations
Phone: (416) 243-3730
Pager: (416) 372-2915
Email: vice.rice@westpark.org