Stronger Going Into Surgery = More Options Coming Out
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This month, Lindsay will be talking about the importance of being strong going into a surgery.
If you're preparing for a knee or hip replacement, it's easy to think of physical therapy as something that starts after surgery.
But what if you started preparing before your surgery date?
Prehab, or physical therapy before surgery, is about building as much strength, mobility, balance, and confidence as possible before your procedure. You don't need to be pain-free or in perfect shape to benefit. The goal is to give your body the strongest starting point possible.
Why does strength before surgery matter?
After surgery, your body has to spend energy healing. At the same time, you're often moving less, dealing with pain and swelling, and temporarily relying on an assistive device.
Going into surgery with better strength and conditioning can give you more physical capacity to work with during that recovery.
For a knee or hip replacement, we may focus on things like:
Building strength in the muscles surrounding the hip and knee
Improving your ability to get up and down from a chair
Practicing stairs
Improving balance and walking tolerance
Maintaining as much joint mobility as possible
Building upper-body and core strength for using a walker or crutches
Practicing the movements you'll need to perform during early recovery
But prehab isn't about "fixing" your joint before surgery.
If you've been living with significant arthritis, you may not be able to do traditional workouts, and that's okay.
Prehab should be individualized to your current abilities and symptoms. Sometimes that means strengthening around a painful joint. Sometimes it means modifying exercises, using a bike or pool, working on balance, or simply finding ways to keep you moving safely.
The goal isn't to make your joint perfect before surgery.
It's to make YOU as prepared as possible.
Think beyond the surgery itself.
One of the biggest things I want patients to consider is: What do you want to get back to?
Maybe it's walking around the neighborhood. Playing golf. Traveling. Going up and down the stairs without thinking about it. Picking up your grandchildren. Getting back to the gym.
Those goals can help guide what you work on before surgery, not just afterward.
The stronger and more prepared you are going into surgery, the more options you may have as you work your way back to the activities you love.
Your recovery doesn't start when you leave the operating room. It can start now.
If you're considering a hip or knee replacement, physical therapy can help you understand what you can work on before surgery and create a plan that prepares you for the recovery ahead.
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, where will we continue to look into some common issues that arise and practical solutions to deal with them. Also, if you have any topics that you want to see covered in a future newsletter, please let us know!
