"> Pre-Surgical Rehab Libertyville, IL

Pre-Surgical Rehab

Physical Therapy prior to surgical intervention is also referred to as: ‘Prehabilitation’.

Prehab is the pre-conditioning of the body or joint structure for patients scheduled to undergo surgical procedures. The importance of preparing the body for surgical intervention, cannot be overstated. For those of our patients who have participated in prehab, in most if not all cases, the length of the surgical procedure has been reduced, post-operative pain has been significantly less and recovery times maximized. Across the board, surgeons are astonished by the ease of the surgery and the enhanced outcomes.

Typical Conditions:

  • Joint replacements
  • Spinal Surgeries
  • ACL/PCL repair
  • Rotator Cuff repair
  • Heart, cancer or other soft tissue, abdominal, or organ surgical procedures

Can Be Useful For:

  • Education of surgical procedure, what to expect postoperatively
  • To improve bed mobility and ambulation following surgery
  • Increase ROM and strength for improved post-op outcomes
  • Mentally prepare a patient for what’s to come
  • Stress importance of post-op compliance

Benefits:

  • Using Pre-op PT for total joint replacement was associated with 29% decrease in the use of post-acute care services (i.e. Nursing Home, inpatient rehab, home health rehab).
  • Patients are in better physical condition when they come out of surgery – better starting point when patients start post-op rehab
  • Athletes return to their sports quicker
  • Prehabilitation is not meant to replace post-op rehab, but to maximize rehabilitation outcomes following surgery.

Typical Prehabilitation Program:

  • Can be 2-6 weeks

Includes:

  • more appropriate alignment of the body, reduction of biomechanical forces that have contributed to the need for surgery, reducing painful fascial restrictions and tensions in the body, strengthening key muscle groups, balance/posture assessment, training, and education.

Goals of our program:

  • Increased muscle strength for affected joint and surrounding area, improved body mechanics, and posture, decreased pain postoperatively, facilitating greater confidence and motivation to recover.

Research:

  • Available research results show increased post-op rehab results when patients undergo pre-op rehab when compared to post-op outcomes without pre-op rehab.

For more information, Contact Us today at Libertyville, IL Center.