The Benefits of Physical Therapy Before Surgery

Most people know that physicians and surgeons often recommend physical therapy after a surgery. Post-op physical therapy can help reduce scar tissue, strengthen ligaments and muscles, and help a patient’s range of motion increase. But what about pre-op physical therapy? Is that a common practice and how can it help?

At Clear Lake Physical Therapy and Rehab Specialists (CLPTRS) we are big proponents of patients having a PT assess a patient prior to surgery to better understand goals and ensure best preparation before surgery takes place.  Pre-surgery physical therapy is known as prehabilitation.  This may be one visit or more based on patient need.

Prehabilitation is helpful before many kinds of surgery. Such as a surgery to repair a ligament, like an ACL reconstruction. Or before a bone surgery, such as a hip or knee replacement. Prehabilitation is also helpful before abdominal or pelvic surgeries.

There are several reasons prehabilitation at CLPTRS can help our patients. First, it can minimize post-surgical pain. Pain can be a source of anxiety for patients after surgery. If you wait until you emerge from surgery to find ways to reduce and cope with your pain, recovery can be a struggle. Talking about a game plan to manage pain with a physical therapist can get you mentally ready for post-op pain. Prehab physical therapy also allows therapists to adjust PT based on your pain tolerance.

Another reason prehab PT can help is it may reduce the risk of surgical complications. When you work with a physical therapist before surgery, you will work on exercises that increase your strength and health. Going into surgery as strong as possible is always a benefit. Those who are physically inactive are at the highest risk of surgical complications.

Even an elderly patient who can’t move their body much can benefit from breathing exercises or simple movements to increase strength. Doing pre-op PT can improve endurance and stamina. Which will only help during the surgery itself, but with recovery.

A third reason pre-surgery PT may be a benefit is that it can reduce recovery time and time in the hospital. This comes back to increasing strength and endurance before surgery.

If you’re having surgery that requires a stay in the hospital, pre-op PT could shorten your stay. Physical therapy can reduce atrophy with strength, dexterity, and motion increased. Atrophy is the loss of muscle mass and strength. Atrophy can delay a return to your home.

Think of prehabilitation as training for your surgery. Implementing a prehab regimen is like starting a race with a one-lap lead. You have worked on increasing your endurance and health. You have been given strategies from your therapist on how to handle pain management. You now know your therapists and the exercises you can expect to do after surgery.

At CLPTRS, we empower our patients with pre-op knowledge. We focus on strength, range of motion, and pain management prior to surgery. We have seen tremendous success with this. Our patients who come in for prehab tend to have a better post-op recovery. As we give care to our patients, we always strive to make therapy after surgery a little more comfortable in a time that can be very challenging for our patients. Prehab is a huge part of this.