What does prehabilitation involve?
Prehabilitation is tailored to your individual needs and may include:
- Exercise: Improving strength, balance, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness.
- Nutrition: Eating well to support healing and maintain muscle mass. Taking dietary supplements if they are needed. To optimise nutrition for surgical recovery, focus on enough protein, enough calories, good hydration, and a varied diet in the weeks before and after surgery. Protein is especially important because it supports tissue repair, muscle preservation, and immune function during healing
- Education: Understanding what to expect before, during and after surgery.
- Lifestyle support: Quitting smoking, reducing alcohol intake and managing other health conditions.
- Mental wellbeing: Learning strategies to reduce stress and anxiety and prepare psychologically for surgery. Relaxation techniques, such as guided imagery, breathing exercises and affirmations have all proven to be effective for mental wellbeing.
- For people living with arthritis, prehabilitation may also include strategies to improve joint function, reduce pain and optimise mobility before procedures such as a hip or knee replacement.
Why is prehabilitation important?
Research shows that people who participate in prehabilitation often experience:
- Faster recovery after surgery
- Improved strength and physical function
- Reduced risk of complications
- Shorter hospital stays
- Greater confidence and independence during recovery
- While surgery can improve quality of life, entering surgery in the best possible condition can make a significant difference to your outcomes.
It’s never too early to start
So how long before surgery do you need to start prehab? Ideally, you’d want to start prehabilitation as soon as surgery is planned, because even a few weeks can help. A common target is about 4 to 6 weeks before surgery, and some clinicians recommend around 2 to 3 months when there is time to build strength and habits safely.
The right timing depends on the surgery type, your current fitness, and whether there is any urgency in the operation. More complex surgery or lower baseline fitness may justify starting earlier, while urgent surgery may only allow a short program
Even if surgery isn’t planned in the near future, adopting healthy habits today can benefit your joints and overall wellbeing. Regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet and managing chronic conditions all contribute to better long-term health and if surgery does become necessary, you’ll already have a strong foundation.
Small changes, big impact
Simple, consistent changes can make a real difference. Walking regularly, completing strengthening exercises recommended by a health professional, eating nutritious meals and staying socially connected are all important steps towards better health.
How to discuss prehab with your surgeon?
A good way to bring it up is to be direct and specific: “I’ve heard prehabilitation can improve recovery, do you think I’d benefit from it before my surgery?” Prehabilitation programs commonly focus on exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress management, and stopping smoking or alcohol, so your surgeon can tell you which parts matter most for your situation.
You can ask for a simple plan with clear goals, such as daily walking, protein targets, breathing exercises, or strength work. Ask for a timeline too, so you know what to do in the weeks before surgery and when to stop certain activities or supplements.
