Rehab Before Surgery – Prehab!
What is it?
Are you aware of the benefits of preoperative physiotherapy?
The role of physiotherapy is to restore, maintain, and improve function, whilst assisting in the management of pain and general well-being of patients. Physiotherapists can play an active role in
rehabilitation which can have drastic positive impacts on the outcomes of surgery.
Did you know that pre-surgical rehabilitation (prehab) has been observed to reduce post-surgical rehab costs and durations by up to 30% (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2014).
That means getting back to moving, work, sport, life fast and at a fraction of the cost. Which leads most people to ask what is Prehab? And how is it different to post-surgical rehabilitation?
In the early stages of any injury that is bound for surgery the body is in defensive mode. Swelling and pain are often inhibiting the patient from moving properly and muscles in the injured area are
failing to perform. This can lead to the patient adopting altered movement patterns or even avoiding movement in general. With these changes, the muscles can begin to weaken, on top of the
actual injury at hand.
Prehabilitation works to counter these additional effects of injuries and better prepare patients for their upcoming surgery. Through low-intensity exercise prescription patients are guided through
strength training, balance and mobilisation exercises. In doing so patients can defend against muscle atrophy, enhance fall prevention, increase mobility, all the while becoming more mentally prepared
for the surgery. Patients that take part in prehab are also more likely to engage in post-surgical rehab earlier and report lower pain scores.
So if you have a surgery approaching, make sure that you are as prepared as possible. Talk to the team and see if Prehab is appropriate for you!
