When facing major joint replacement surgery, most people know they will need a period of rehabilitation afterwards to achieve their best outcomes. Far fewer consider something that can have just as much impact on the result: prehab.
What Is Prehab?
Prehab, short for prehabilitation, is the work you do to prepare your body before surgery rather than only after it. In the weeks leading up to a hip or knee replacement, a physiotherapist helps you build strength, movement and fitness so you go into the operation in the best possible shape. The idea is simple: the stronger you are before surgery, the better placed you are to recover well afterwards.
Why It Makes a Difference
It is easy to assume recovery only starts once the new joint is in, but the lead-up counts too. Research shows that people who are stronger and fitter before joint replacement tend to recover faster, regain function sooner, and in some cases spend less time in hospital. Prehab also gives you a head start on the exercises you will need afterwards, so they feel familiar rather than new when you are sore and tired.
What a Prehab Program Involves
A good prehab program is built around your joint, your fitness and your goals. It usually includes strengthening the muscles that support the joint, such as the quadriceps and glutes for a hip or knee replacement, since these do much of the work in your recovery. It keeps the joint moving through as much range as your pain allows, and adds balance and general fitness work to keep your heart and lungs in good shape.
Many programs also rehearse the movements you will use after surgery, like getting in and out of bed, standing from a chair, or using crutches or a walking frame. Practising these ahead of time makes the early days far less daunting.
How Physiotherapy Can Help
Your physiotherapist can assess your current strength, movement and fitness, then build a program that targets the specific joint being replaced and fits around any pain you are managing. We can guide you on how hard to push and progress your exercises safely as surgery approaches. The goal is to arrive on surgery day as strong and prepared as possible, so your recovery starts from a better place.
If you have surgery coming up, it is worth starting sooner rather than later. Even a few weeks of focused preparation can make a real difference. Come and have a chat with us.
None of the information in this newsletter is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual injury.