When it comes to surgery, the emphasis is often on the procedure and the recovery involved. However, a crucial step often overlooked is prehabilitation, or “prehab”. This proactive approach involves a personalized regimen of exercises and physical therapy designed to strengthen your body before surgery. Incorporating prehab into your treatment plan helps condition your body for surgery, enhances recovery outcomes, and lowers the likelihood of future injuries.

What is Prehab?

Unlike traditional rehabilitation, which focuses on recovery after surgery, prehab aims to prepare your body for the surgical experience. By improving strength, flexibility, and overall fitness, prehab can significantly enhance your surgical outcomes and expedite your recovery. It involves tailored exercises designed to strengthen specific muscle groups, improve mobility, and address areas of vulnerability.

The Benefits of Prehab

• Reduced Post-operative Complications: Research has demonstrated that prehab can significantly diminish the risk of post-operative complications, including infections, blood clots, and extended hospital stays.
• Faster Recovery: By strengthening the muscles around the surgical site, prehab can help you recover and return to normal activities more quickly.
• Improved Pain Management: Increased strength and flexibility can help you manage pain more effectively after surgery.
• Enhanced Functional Outcomes: Prehab can enhance your overall functional capacity. Strengthening muscles before surgery helps offset the natural decline that occurs during recovery. Exercises that improve flexibility and joint mobility can prevent stiffness and promote better post-surgical results.
• Building Confidence: Prior familiarity with exercises and movements can alleviate pre-operative anxiety and reinforce confidence in your recovery.

How Does Prehab Work?

Prehab programs are tailored to each individual’s specific needs and surgical procedure following an evaluation of their current fitness level by a skilled physical therapist. This may include:

• Strength training: Focusing on exercises that strengthen the muscles around the surgical site.
• Cardiovascular exercise: Improving overall cardiovascular health and endurance.
• Inspiratory muscle training (IMT): A type of resistance training for improved post-operative respiratory muscle function, which can reduce the risk of some lung-related complications.
• Flexibility and range-of-motion exercises: Enhancing flexibility and improving joint mobility.
• Education and guidance: Learning proper body mechanics and how to safely perform exercises.

It typically begins with an evaluation by a physical therapist who assesses your overall fitness, mobility, and the specific demands of your upcoming surgery. Based on this assessment, a customized exercise plan is developed to address your individual needs.

Engaging in prehab six weeks before surgery can significantly improve post-surgical recovery. Studies have shown that active individuals typically experience shorter hospital stays, faster mobility gains, and reduced pain levels compared to those who are less prepared physically.

Who Can Benefit from Prehab?

Prehab can be beneficial for a wide range of procedures, including:

• Joint replacement surgeries (Knees or Hips):  Exercises might focus on strengthening the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles to support the joint and improve post-surgical mobility.
• Orthopedic surgeries: Prehab in orthopedic surgeries help by strengthening muscles, improving range of motion, improving cardiovascular fitness, and reducing pain and anxiety.
• Athletic Injuries: Targeted exercises may focus on stabilizing the injured area while maintaining overall strength and flexibility.
• Cardiac surgery: Prehab strengthens the heart and improves blood flow. It also aids in lowering the risk of post-operative complications.
• Oncology surgeries: Oncology prehab helps in improving physical fitness, thereby helping the body to fight off infections and heal better.
• General Surgeries: Light cardiovascular and core-strengthening exercises can improve endurance and reduce the risks associated with prolonged inactivity.

Finding the Right Physical Therapist:

Choosing a skilled physical therapist is essential for ensuring the success of a prehab program. 

Key Considerations:

• Experience: Look for a therapist with experience in prehabilitation and a strong understanding of the specific surgical procedure you are undergoing.
• Communication: Choose a therapist who communicates effectively and listens attentively to your concerns and questions.
• Personalized Approach: Ensure the therapist can develop a personalized prehab plan tailored to your individual needs and fitness level.

The Bottom Line:

Prehab is an invaluable investment in your surgical recovery. By proactively preparing your body for surgery, you can significantly improve your outcomes, reduce complications, and return to your normal life more quickly.