The Valley Hospital’s Rehabilitation Program: A better way to prepare for Joint Replacement Surgery

How Prehab helps:

A patient’s level of physical fitness, muscular strength, endurance and joint range of motion have all been shown to affect outcomes after joint replacement surgery-particularly when it comes to minimizing atrophy and stiffness and returning to daily activities. Prehab addresses these factors to ensure patients are ready to move faster and with more ease after joint replacement.

Prehab can benefit patients in many ways:

Improved Strength: Improved strength is important not only in preparation for rehabbing the joint but also for helping the rest of the body compensate for a lack of full-body function during recovery.

Improved Body Awareness/Mechanics: After surgery, patients must re-learn everyday movements, such as rising from chairs or moving from beds. Prehab teaches patients better body awareness and mechanics in preparation for such hurdles.

Improved Fitness Level: Improving overall stamina and cardiovascular capacity can improve the rate of healing and recovery. It also can improve personal drive during rehabilitation, especially when the process is most grueling.

Improved Function: Prehab before total joint replacement has been shown to improve overall functional mobility, such as walking, stair climbing and getting in and out of bed and chairs. In addition, patients report less pain, better quality of life and more confidence after a prehab exercise program.

Program Components:

The Center’s prehab program starts with a consultation and thorough assessment of range of motion, muscle flexibility, bilateral strength and standard functional performance. Balance and postural control also will be assessed before the exercise portion begins.

Each patient’s prehab program is customized to his or her unique needs by our exercise physiologists and certified athletic trainers. A typical program begins about six weeks before surgery and may include:

*Warm-Up Exercise

*A cardiovascular component

*Strengthening of key muscle groups, with an emphasis on range of motion and flexibility.

*Exercises to improve and preserve balance.

*Functional skills practice.

*Patient education

Offering something for everyone:

From a mother of two getting ready for shoulder surgery to a retire facing a knee replacement, prehab is useful for patients of all ages and fitness levels. Patients may benefit from prehab when preparing for the following procedures:

*Total hip replacement

*Total knee replacement

*Total ankle replacement

*Shoulder and wrist joint replacements

Pre-Surgery Exercise Post-Surgery Rewards:

The sooner you begin prehab, the more benefits you’ll reap after your joint replacement surgery. You’ll feel stronger, more flexible and better prepared to take on the challenges of your post-surgical rehabilitation program.

The experts at the Center will work one-on-one with you to ensure you’re ready for your joint procedure and they’re ready to work with you after your surgery and rehabilitation too as part of a comprehensive exercise maintenance program.

A successful outcome begins before surgery:

While rehabilitation is essential in allowing a patient to regain function and quality of life following a total joint replacement surgery, pre-surgical conditioning-prehabilitation or ‘prehab’ can hasten the healing process and help minimize the loss of function following surgery.

Prehab is the process of enhancing the fitness level and functional capacity of patients before surgery, allowing them to withstand the stresses of surgery while preparing them for post-surgery realities such as limited movement and rehabilitation.

Patients who need joint replacement are often eager to put the pain behind them and get back to a healthier, more active life. The prehab program at the Valley Center for Health and Wellness is key step in achieving this outcome sooner and with less discomfort.

The Road to recovery starts here:

If you’re scheduled for joint replacement surgery at The Valley Hospital, learn how a detailed prehabilitation program can help you get the most out of your procedure and recovery. Ask your physician or surgeon to be referred to the prehab program at Valley’s Center. Or call the Center for Health and Wellness directly for a consultation as well as information about program fees and hours at (201) 447-8133. Prehabilitation is a program of The Valley Hospital Sports Institute at the Valley Center for Health and Wellness.

Prepare your body and mind:

Combine your prehab experience with The Valley Hospital’s guided imagery audio meditations for total mind-body conditioning before your joint surgery. Download our audio programs today at http://www.ValleyHealth.com/Guided Imagery.

The Valley Hospital Medical Fitness Center

1400 MacArthur Boulevard

Mahwah, NJ  07430

(201) 447-8133

http://www.ValleyHealth.com/SportsMed

http://www.ValleyHealth.com/Orthopedics

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Disclaimer: This information was taken from The Valley Hospital Medical Fitness Center pamphlet and I give them full credit for the information. I have never used the service so I have no opinion of it either yes or no to how good it is. Please call the above numbers for more information on the program.