You wouldn’t run a marathon without preparing for it, so why would you have an operation without preparing first? Having major surgery takes a physical and mental toll on the body, but this can be minimised by good preparation.
Prehabilitation, also known as "prehab", before major surgery has been shown to minimize the risks of surgery like infection and poor healing as well as reducing the length of stay in hospital. It also aides with shorter recovery times, so you’ll be back on your feet doing the things you love sooner.
What is prehab?
Basically, it’s getting your body ready for surgery with healthy lifestyle changes. For example, we know high blood sugar levels levels before surgery mean more complications after surgery. Obesity also increases the risk of complications. If we can improve blood sugar levels, reduce weight and increase muscle before surgery, then the chance of a good recovery is higher. It’s exactly like a marathon, improve your muscle mass and exercise tolerance through training, and you'll run a better time and recover faster.
If you have an upcoming surgery, speak to your GP or specialist about joining the Juno Pre-Surgical Risk Reduction Program for a better recovery.
Associate Professor Jennifer WongFRACP (Endocrinology), MBBS (Hons), MIHEndocrinologistJennifer is the Director of Diabetes at Monash Health. She is a member of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Australian Diabetes Society. Her special interest areas are guideline development and health service delivery, diabetic foot disease and thyroid cancer. |