What is Prehab?

Have you heard the term prehabilitation?

You may be much more familiar with rehabilitation — or rehab — the work you do after an operation to recover. But what many people don’t realise is that prehabilitation – or ‘prehab’ – before surgery is just as important.

It’s a concept that is becoming an increasingly important part of modern surgical care, and it sits right at the heart of what Better Surgery is all about.

So what exactly is prehabilitation, and why does it matter?

The Principles of Prehab

Prehab means preparing your body and mind before surgery, rather than only waiting until afterwards to focus on recovery.

Surgery places a significant physical and mental strain on the body. By focusing on your physical and mental health in the lead up to surgery, you put yourself in the best possible position to recover well afterwards.

Rather than seeing surgery as a single event, prehab treats it as an opportunity – both to maximise your chances of getting the best possible result from your operation, and to improve your long-term health beyond surgery.

Good prehab should be:

•     Personal - appropriate for you and your operation

•     Realistic - achievable within the time available

•     Holistic – addressing both physical and mental health

•     Supportive – empowering rather than overwhelming

Prehab is not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about recognising that even small changes — especially when added together — can make a meaningful difference.

Why Preparation Before Surgery Matters

For a long time, most of the focus in surgical care has been on what happens after an operation: pain relief, physiotherapy, rehabilitation.

While these remain crucial, there is now strong evidence that what you do before surgery also matters.

People who are better prepared before surgery are more likely to:

•     Recover more quickly

•     Experience fewer complications

•     Regain function sooner

•     Feel more confident and engaged in their recovery

All of this means that the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to get a good result from your operation — and the sooner you can return home and get back to the activities you enjoy.

Don’t just take our word for it.

Prehab is increasingly supported by large-scale research and national organisations. In the UK, the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) produce guidance for medical professionals looking after patients before, during and after surgery. They focus on reducing complications, improving patient experience and lowering costs for the health service.

CPOC highlight seven key preoperative interventions which, when combined, can reduce the risk of complications, such as chest infections, blood clots and wound infections, by up to 50%.

The good news is that all of these areas are covered within a Better Surgery course.

If you’d like to explore the research in more detail, we’ve included further reading links at the end of this article.

The Core Components

Prehabilitation isn’t a single, one-size-fits-all intervention. Instead, it focuses on a small number of key areas that work together rather than in isolation.

Importantly, preparation doesn’t need to be extreme or time-consuming. Even relatively small, well-targeted changes in the weeks before surgery can make a real difference.

Physical Activity and Movement

Staying as active as you safely can before surgery helps maintain strength, mobility and cardiovascular fitness. This doesn’t mean intense training. It means staying active, gradually increasing what you do, and targeting key muscles or movements that are particularly relevant to your operation.

Mental Preparation and Confidence

Understanding what’s ahead, knowing what’s normal, and feeling able to ask questions all help people cope better and recover more confidently. Mental readiness is just as important as physical fitness.

Nutrition

Eating well supports healing, immune function and energy levels. In some cases, addressing nutritional deficiencies before surgery can be particularly important.

Smoking and Alcohol

Stopping smoking and reducing alcohol intake before surgery are both strongly associated with lower complication rates and better wound healing.

Optimising Long-term Health Conditions

Ensuring conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or lung disease are well controlled reduces surgical risk and supports recovery.

We’ll explore each of these areas in more detail in future blog articles.

How Does Better Surgery Fit In?

More and more hospitals now offer local prehab programmes, and if you are lucky enough to be offered one, we strongly recommend taking part.

Better Surgery is not designed to replace local prehab services. Instead, it exists to complement them — or to provide structured, practical support where local programmes aren’t available.

Clinic appointments can feel rushed, and it’s often hard to take everything in at once. Better Surgery gives you the opportunity to:

•     Work through information at your own pace

•     Revisit key topics whenever you need

•     Access clear, practical guidance linked directly to recovery

When you sign up to a Better Surgery course, you can expect:

•     Expert-led explanations in professional, engaging videos

•     Operation-specific guidance

•     Additional downloadable resources, including an attractive Course Guide

•     Practical tools to support both physical and mental preparation, including structured Activity Plans

Prehabilitation isn’t about doing everything — or doing things perfectly.

It’s about recognising that what you do before surgery can influence how you recover afterwards. Preparation is something you can take an active role in allowing you to take more control over the success of your operation.

Even small steps, taken early, can make a meaningful difference.