Pre-habilitation

What is Pre-habilitation or Prehab?

The term Pre-habilitation can refer to one of two things:

1. Prehabilitation can refer to improving an individual’s functional capacity through increased physical activity before an anticipated orthopedic procedure (surgery). If an individual maintains a higher level of functional ability before a procedure, they will rebound more rapidly in the rehabilitation process post procedure. Prehabilitation is the process of enhancing functional capacity of the individual to enable him or her to withstand the stressor of inactivity associated with an orthopedic procedure.
2. Prehab can refer to a personalized exercise program that provides sports specific focused exercises and activities in order to prevent injuries. The development and execution of an effective program can be complex. The development of the program needs to be progressive and periodically re-evaluated to change with the athlete’s needs.

Who Should Prehab?
Athletes of all levels should include prehabiltation in their training program. Anyone undergoing future surgical procedures should include pre-habilitation in their total surgical care plan.

How to Prehab
Customized prehabilitation programs focus on preparing the body for the demands of training or surgery and thus help to prevent injuries and speed recovery. A sound and personalized prehabilitation program should address total body balance and consider specific needs. It balances the range of motion, strength, coordination and stabilization.

Due to the complex nature of many sports and surgery-specific scenarios, proper program design should be developed by an expert with the knowledge to address such needs. Dr. Klassen has received training in the area of prehabilitation.