The importance of an Exercise program before Joint replacement surgery

Most people cannot wait to get their knee replacement or hip replacement surgery.

As you know, there is a wait time. What do you do?

If you want to have the best outcome for your surgery, its important to be conditioned and ready to rehabilitate afterwards. The best way to prepare is to have Prehabilitation. This is attending an assessment and engaging in exercise prescription sessions prior to the surgery in order to optimize the outcomes after the surgery. Often there are effects from the surgery itself and this can be mitigated if your whole body is in better condition. Things as simple as circulatory improvements and breathework can assist as well. Performing prescribed exercises based on your abilities and needs can enhance the overall capability and outcome from the surgery. The sooner you get to quality of life and function post-surgery the better! 

Many patients fail to meet the minimum range of motion, strength and function expectations post-surgery. Some of this has to do with complications of the surgery itself, which correlate to the pre-surgical condition of the patient and their functional capacity prior. Often patients feel a great amount of discomfort post-surgery during the rehabilitation phase. By performing Prehabilitation, you can condition yourself to the exercises and then the rehabilitation part becomes much simpler and less painful.

Patients with preoperative pain and mobility limitations can still complete a Prehabilitation program. In the sessions we can conduct specific (pain free) range of motion movements as well as exercises to help reduce the pain. Patients can be worked with for manual stretching and also have some basic homework to carry on the progress.

As an example, a typical Prehabilitation program for total knee replacement could look like (specifics depend on each client one on one):

• Initial Functional abilities assessment, health consult
• Assisted work on joint range of motion (PROM), flexibility for hip, quads, hamstrings and calves
• Isometrics for various body areas depending on the assessment results
• Recovery treatments such as using WBPA (unique to BODiWORKS only), or other tools to help and hands on therapies.
• Gait training – look at walk patterns and assist for abilities improvement and corrections
• General aerobic conditioning
• Balance work

Every person waiting to have a joint replacement has a role in their own process. So often is the case where the patient waits, and waits, while their situation becomes worse and their quality of life deteriorates.

Coming to exercise in a comfortable environment pre-surgery is very helpful for increasing the confidence level, and achieving more than expected in the post-surgical outcome. A worth while commitment for adding years to your functional ability and life!