Optimizing Your Health Before Surgery: The Power of Prehabilitation
Author: Rachel Young, Physiotherapist
Musculoskeletal diseases, combined with an aging population, are two of the biggest contributors to the growing demand for orthopedic surgeries. Whether it's a joint replacement, spine surgery, or tendon repair, the need for these procedures has skyrocketed in recent years. Unfortunately, the demand is so high that many patients find themselves waiting months, sometimes even years, before they can have their surgery. During this waiting period, the pain often worsens, mobility declines, and unfortunately, mental health tends to take a hit as well.
But what if there was something you could do to make that waiting period more productive? Something that could help you not only manage the pain but also improve your recovery once you do finally undergo surgery.
That’s where physiotherapy comes in, particularly through a process called prehabilitation.
What is Prehabilitation?
Prehabilitation is the practice of preparing your body for surgery through targeted exercise, strength training, and mobility work before the actual procedure. The goal is to optimize muscle strength, improve function, and enhance your overall health-related quality of life, all of which are predictive factors for better postoperative outcomes.
While waiting for surgery, you have a golden opportunity to get your body in the best possible shape to help reduce recovery time and improve the overall outcome of your procedure. In fact, research has shown that prehabilitation can significantly shorten your post-surgery recovery time and improve the results of your surgery.
Why Is Prehabilitation Important?
Once you have your surgery, you can expect a recovery process that typically takes 6-12 months, depending on the type of surgery. During this time, some patients continue to experience postoperative pain, poor function, and difficulty regaining full mobility.
But the key factor here is that prehabilitation helps to reduce postoperative recovery time and can improve long-term outcomes. By focusing on strengthening muscles, increasing mobility, improving cardiovascular fitness, and enhancing physical function before the surgery, you can set yourself up for a smoother recovery.
How Physiotherapy Can Help During Prehabilitation
As physiotherapists, our role during prehabilitation is to create an individualized program tailored to your specific needs, injury, and goals. Depending on your condition, we will focus on various aspects of physical health, including:
Strength training: Building muscle strength around the joint or area to be operated on to improve stability and support during the healing process.
Aerobic conditioning: Improving cardiovascular health to prepare your body for the demands of surgery and recovery.
Mobility exercises: Restoring flexibility and joint range of motion to ensure you have optimal movement patterns post-surgery.
Functional exercises: Focused on improving your day-to-day activities, ensuring you have better overall physical function after surgery.
Take Control of Your Health Today
If you’re facing an upcoming orthopedic surgery, don't wait for the day of the procedure to start thinking about your recovery. By working with a physiotherapist during your waiting period, you can help ensure that you're in the best shape possible for a faster and more effective recovery.
Prehabilitation isn’t just about getting strong before surgery—it’s about taking charge of your health and improving your quality of life. It's about reducing pain, increasing mobility, and improving mental well-being while preparing your body for what’s to come. Together, we can develop a personalized plan that aligns with your surgical goals, helping you make the most of this crucial window of time before your procedure.
References
Lundberg, M., Archer, K. R., Larsson, C., & Rydwik, E. (2019). Prehabilitation: the emperor's new clothes or a new arena for physical therapists?. Physical Therapy, 99(2), 127-130.
Pacheco-Brousseau, L., & Poitras, S. (2024). Preoperative Physiotherapy. Fast Track Surgery in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: New Standards, 249.
Punnoose, A., Claydon-Mueller, L. S., Weiss, O., Zhang, J., Rushton, A., & Khanduja, V. (2023). Prehabilitation for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA network open, 6(4), e238050-e238050.
