Prehab, or pre-surgical rehabilitation, is a type of physical therapy that is done prior to any surgery being done. During this type of preventative rehabilitation physical therapy, the patient is given a series of specific, specialized exercises, stretches, or activities to do to help to better prepare their bodies for their upcoming procedures.
In some cases, prehab can even remove the need for surgery all together!
Prehab is done for a variety of surgical procedures, with an ever-growing list as more specialties and doctors find the true benefits of this for their patients. Orthopedic surgeries, women’s health and gynecologic surgeries, back surgeries, and more now require most patients to have a certain amount of prehab before surgery will even be scheduled.
This proactive approach to health care allows the patient to better connect with their bodies, understand their procedures, and be more prepared to participate in their own recovery plan. Those with a successful, strong recovery plan often do very well with healing and joining normal life activities thereafter.
In your first prehab visit, you will be evaluated to see which types of exercises, therapies, and work will be best for your situation. Physical therapists use a whole-body approach to healing, which will help you to address all aspects of faster overall healing.
Two major benefits of prehab are:
- Your body will have more strength and endurance going into surgery, which means it will also be stronger and better built to handle the requirements of recovery.
- The body has wonderful muscle memory skills and once these movements, stretches, and exercises have been introduced and learned, the body will become familiar and make the recovery process smoother.
Studies have shown that those patients who are involved in prehab have better outcomes, feel stronger, feel more empowered to handle the rough spots, and overall feel generally better. Not only does prehab offer a boost to the physical body, but it also offers this support for mental health. By preparing your body and mind before a traumatic surgical event, you set yourself up to have a confident recovery period.
In many cases, patients are only allotted so many covered-by-insurance physical therapy visits and worry that prehab may hinder their after-surgery therapy needs. Many physical therapists can work around these issues when they are made aware of the situation and are more than happy to work with their patients to ensure that they have an exercise plan prior to their surgery.
If you have an upcoming surgery and your doctor has not yet discussed the possible need for prehab, do not hesitate to bring it up at your pre-surgical appointment, or send them a message through your patient app system. Or simply reach out to a physical therapist that is on your insurance coverage plan. These days, many insurance companies do not require a referral to see a physical therapist- even for a new patient! Your physical therapist can also help you to ensure that you get the documentation your insurance company may end up needing in the process.
Give prehab a chance! It is truly wonderful for overall healing!
Citations: