Prehabilitation before surgery may improve outcomes, according to physiatrist Dr. Jonathan H. Whiteson.
Photo: Karsten Moran
Hospitals are increasingly prescribing prehabilitation—rehabilitation performed before a surgical procedure—to 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. “It’s a field and a trend that makes tremendous sense,” he says.
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