Prehabilitation

Southington Care Center offers prehab programming through its outpatient therapy and Good Life Fitness program and, also, through a unique collaboration with the Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA.  Prehab begins with an evaluation by a physical therapist to assess baseline function and to establish appropriate exercises to meet the person’s goals.  The exercise physiologist then leads the person through those exercises as a part of the Good Life Fitness program offered at Southington Care Center.  If a person is a current member of the Southington-Cheshire Community YMCA, then following an outpatient physical therapy evaluation, a member of the fitness staff at the YMCA can supervise the prehab participant’s exercise regime.

Prehabilitation or prehab, is the conditioning of the body and mind for surgery before the surgery.  Studies have shown that patients who participate in moderate exercise before surgery experience an accelerated recovery.  Prehab training programs incorporate a warm-up, cardiovascular activity, strength training, flexibility training, and functional skills.  Preventing unnecessary atrophy and correcting muscle imbalance is a central part of helping the individual meet their post-surgical challenge.  Following surgery, patients display higher levels of functioning and less pain compared to those who do not participate in prehab. 

For more information about prehabilitation at Southington Care Center, call the outpatient therapy department at 860-378-1234.