Prehabilitation before surgery may improve outcomes, according to physiatrist Dr. Jonathan H. Whiteson.
Photo: Karsten Moran
Hospitals are increasingly prescribing prehabilitation鈥攔ehabilitation performed before a surgical procedure鈥攖o help a person get stronger and fitter and increase function ahead of treatment. The prehab plan is individualized to the person and the procedure they are receiving.
Prehab is especially common for people needing an organ transplant, cancer surgery, heart surgery, or reconstructive surgery.
Jonathan H. Whiteson, MD, vice chair for clinical operations at Rusk Rehabilitation and medical director of the Joan and Joel Smilow Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation Center, tells U.S. News & World Report that the ideal scenario is prehab plus traditional postoperative rehabilitation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a field and a trend that makes tremendous sense,鈥 he says.
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