Prehabilitation, or “prehab,” is a form of rehabilitation designed to increase one’s ability to function in anticipation of an upcoming breast surgery.
Scientific evidence supports the value of preparing patients for optimizing their health prior to surgery. Depending on the patient’s diagnosis and functional limitations, our health care team might recommend interventions such as specific exercises to improve strength and endurance, counselling strategies that can help decrease stress prior to the start of treatment.
Benefits of Prehabilitation:
Helps patients feel better and/or stronger and improves functioning before the surgery. Prepares patients for the physical challenges faced following the surgery. Improves patients psychological outcomes.
Prehab interventions will be tailored to each individual’s needs following the evaluation of many factors, including the patient’s diagnosis, treatment plan and any other pre-existing health conditions.
A woman with breast cancer who is scheduled to undergo a mastectomy and/or lumpectomy and/or breast reconstruction may benefit from prehabilitation support.
Our physiotherapist can prescribe upper-body strengthening and range-of-motion exercises that may reduce the risk of postoperative pain and other complications such as “frozen shoulder.” Prehab program can also emotionally support women dealing with a new diagnosis of breast cancer.