Presurgical Rehabilitation

For some conditions, surgical intervention is inevitable. Conditions such as stenosis, arthritis, or disc degeneration can be so far advanced that other interventions may help manage symptoms but cannot fix that condition. For those individuals considered surgical candidates, there are many factors that contribute to post surgical outcomes. Some factors are unable to be influenced or cannot be changed; but there are many ways a patient can prepare for surgery and one of the best options in prehabilitation.

Prehabilitation, or “prehab” is a method of conservative care aimed to improve outcomes of surgery and increase the chance of a fluid recovery post-surgery. There are a variety of conditions that receive great benefit from prehab. Below you can read the benefits of prehab.

Greater mobility
The most important function of our musculoskeletal system is movement. To have healthy muscle tissue, joints and neural tissue, proper range of motion is necessary. Regardless of how invasive a surgical procedure may be, it is a major stress to the body. Just like anything, the body may need training prior to such a large happening. You can think of marathon runners; they don’t typically run a marathon without training appropriately first. The less training you have, the more difficult it is going to be to complete the race (and recover). It is important to improve mobility and restore as much range of motion as possible before surgery. The more mobility attained before surgery, the faster you can become mobile following surgery.

Stronger muscles and tissue
As mentioned above, regardless of how invasive surgery may be, it is stressful for the body. To have mobility we need strength within the supporting tissues. Strength prior to surgery will also lessen the effects of muscle atrophy, which is the thinning or loss of muscle tissue due to not using the tissue.
In general, the more active and mobile you are entering the procedure, the higher the likely hood you are to retain better function following the surgery. Strengthening muscle tissue will not only increase muscle mass and stamina, but toleration to surgery and recovery speed.

Pain Reduction
It has been shown that there is a large reduction in pain with preoperative conservative care. It can reduce inflammation, improve circulation, lessen pain, and speed up recovery. Less pain is correlated with a lower risk of opioid dependency post-surgery. Researchers at Boston University found that patients who had physical therapy modalities before and/or after a knee replacement lowered the chance of long-term opioid use.