Prehab…a word that is thrown a lot around these days in the health world. A lot of people, unfortunately, do not understand what prehab is or how it is beneficial. If you’d like to find out, this is the blog for you.

So…prehab…is it short for something? Prehab is short for prehabilitation or sometimes also known as preventative rehabilitation.

It is the notion of being PROACTIVE about one’s neuromuscular rehab for the reason of reducing potential injury risks or improving post-operative outcomes.

I will divide the rest of this blog into the aforementioned benefits, 1 being reduction in injury risk and the other for improving post-operative outcomes.

1. Reduction in injury risk

There are many reasons why major sporting teams train well before the season begins. But one of these reasons is to condition players for a return back to full performance. During the ‘off-season’ the body deconditions. Muscles, tendon, bone, most if not all tissue that is stressed during a sport become ‘weaker’ than they were previously due to cease of use. This is one of the reasons for pre-season training, where training intensity is started low and ramped up progressively until its ‘game day’.  The body is reconditioned for a return to full performance and thus the player now has a reduced injury risk.

This doesn’t only apply for major sporting teams but even if you are even a club or social player who has a history of being quite ‘injury prone’ then coming in and speaking to one of our Physiotherapists or Exercise Physiologists can help you prepare yourself for a new season of sport. A custom exercise program will be beneficial pre-season to help reduce risk of injury and boost your performance!

2. Improve post-operative outcomes

When it comes to certain types of orthopaedic surgeries such as joint replacements, ligament repairs/reconstructions and even for general ‘lifestyle’ surgeries such as a heart surgery, prehab is super important.

Before even entering the operating room, the healthier/stronger you are, the better you will leave and also recover. After most surgeries, some recovery time is required where your rehab is minimal. During this time of relative rest, a lot of muscle and fitness is lost and therefore will be more difficult and take longer to regain post-surgery. This is why being in your best shape prior to surgery will pave an easier path for your post-surgery rehab. If you know you require some form of surgery in upcoming months, speaking to a Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist will assist you as they can develop a specific exercise program designed at improving whatever it may be relevant to your form of surgery such as heart health, knee strength and so on.

As you can see above, prehab prevents injuries and then helps to shorten post-surgery rehab times, saving you money in the long run. Invest in your health for today so it also lasts you into the future!