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If you have surgery coming up, you may already be thinking about what recovery will look like. But physical therapy before surgery can be just as important as physical therapy afterward.
Pre-surgical physical therapy, commonly called prehab or prehabilitation, is designed to help improve strength, mobility, flexibility, and overall physical readiness before a procedure. After surgery, post-surgical physical therapy helps patients restore movement, rebuild strength, manage discomfort, and safely return to everyday activities.
At Elite Therapy Solutions, our physical therapists work with patients before and after surgery to create personalized rehabilitation plans based on their individual needs and recovery goals.
Prehab is physical therapy performed before a scheduled surgery or procedure. Instead of waiting until after surgery to begin rehabilitation, prehab gives you an opportunity to prepare your body ahead of time.
A pre-surgical physical therapy program may focus on:
Prehab is especially well known in orthopedic care, where improving strength and mobility before a procedure can help prepare patients for the rehabilitation process that follows.
One way to think about prehab is training for your recovery before it begins.
Improving strength, mobility, flexibility, and endurance before surgery gives your body a stronger starting point for rehabilitation. Prehab can also familiarize you with exercises and movement strategies you may use after surgery.
According to the source material, prehab may help patients resume mobility and return to their baseline level of function sooner while helping them feel more knowledgeable and confident about the recovery process.
Once your procedure is complete, physical therapy after surgery focuses on safely restoring movement and function.
Every surgery—and every patient—is different. That’s why post-surgical physical therapy should be individualized rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
Your physical therapist will evaluate your condition and develop a treatment plan based on your procedure, current abilities, and personal recovery goals.
Post-surgical physical therapy may help with:
Your physical therapist can also monitor your progress throughout recovery and adjust your exercises and treatment plan as you improve.
There isn’t one recovery timeline that applies to everyone.
Your physical therapy plan will depend on factors such as the type of surgery you’ve had, your current condition, your activity level, and your individual goals. Your therapist can progress your treatment as your strength, mobility, and function improve.
The ultimate goal isn’t simply to complete a certain number of physical therapy visits—it’s to help you safely regain the function you need for your life.
Successful rehabilitation involves more than treating the area where you had surgery. Physical therapy can address your overall strength, mobility, balance, function, and physical well-being.
Your goals also matter.
Maybe you want to return to a sport. Maybe your goal is getting back to work, exercising, gardening, traveling, playing with your grandchildren, or simply walking comfortably and confidently again.
Your physical therapy program should be built around helping you make meaningful progress toward those goals.
You don’t necessarily have to wait until after surgery to start thinking about rehabilitation.
If you have an upcoming procedure, talk with your healthcare provider and a physical therapist about whether prehab before surgery could be appropriate for you. Preparing ahead of time can help you better understand the recovery process while working on your strength, mobility, and confidence.
After your procedure, Elite Therapy Solutions can continue working with you through your post-surgical rehabilitation to help you safely return to the activities that matter most.
Preparing for surgery or looking for physical therapy after surgery? Contact Elite Therapy Solutions today to schedule an appointment and learn how our physical therapists can help you prepare, recover, and get moving again.