If you have a surgery coming up, you are likely aware of the rehab you’ll need afterward. Post-surgical rehabilitation is a crucial part of the recovery process, as it helps patients get back on their feet and regain their full range of function.
What most people don’t know if that pre-surgical rehabilitation – or “pre-hab” – can help speed up your recovery time even more. While rehab is physical therapy following surgery, pre-hab is the process of working with a physical therapist to prepare your body for surgery. Pre-hab with a physical therapist has been shown to reduce recovery times and improve outcomes after surgery. For more information on how pre-hab can speed up your recovery and prepare you for your upcoming surgery, contact our office today.
Rehab vs. Pre-hab: Understanding the Differences:
Rehab
It is completely normal to feel some pain and discomfort following surgery. It may feel difficult to make certain movements, and you will likely have to limit your physical activity for a set amount of time after your procedure. However, it is important to make sure you are still getting the movement you need, so you can regain your optimum function following surgery. This is where rehab comes in.
Rehab is a must following surgery. A physical therapist can help you move safely, in ways that will fight inflammation and keep adhesions from forming. Rehab treatments with a licensed physical therapist will also help increase your strength, so you can get back to your normal life after surgery.
Pre-hab
Pre-hab with a physical therapist helps you get a jump-start on the recovery process, and it can allow for a more successful surgical process. It reduces inflammation and increases strength, which can make the job of the surgeon (and your body’s natural healing response!) much easier. While rehab works to strengthen your body after surgery, pre-hab works to strengthen your body before the surgery.
Spending even a few sessions with a physical therapist will help improve your overall health before undergoing your procedure, so you’ll have more strength stored up to help you along your recovery. Instead of starting out rehab feeling fully depleted, you will already have some built-up strength to make the process much easier on yourself.
How Beneficial is Pre-hab?
Pre-hab has been proven to significantly enhance the recovery process for those who decide to partake in it. In fact, in a study published by the Arthritis Foundation, three universities in Boston demonstrated that patients who engaged in pre-hab had much better outcomes following surgery.
Working with a physical therapist before surgery makes it possible to get out of the hospital faster. For example, studies done on knee replacement patients concluded that the patients who went through pre-hab treatments before their knee surgery were able to meet the requirements to get out of the hospital much quicker than those who did not go through any physical therapy prior to surgery.
In most cases, knee replacement patients must walk a certain distance and travel up a certain amount of stairs before they can leave. For patients that have worked with a physical therapist before surgery, meeting these requirements is easier to do. Their bodies are stronger due to physical therapy; therefore, they are able to recover much faster.
Contact us:
The benefits of pre-hab are undeniable. If you have a surgery coming up and you’d like to take advantage of our pre-hab services, contact our office today to schedule an appointment. We’ll help you improve your strength before your surgery, so you can have a smoother outcome and speedy recovery.
