Surgical Prehabilitation

Surgical procedures can place significant stress on the body, making physical readiness a key factor in recovery and outcomes. At The Laurel Highlands Center in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, physicians Courtney Floyd, MD, and Ryan Floyd, MD, offer a Surgical Prehabilitation Program designed to optimize your health before surgery and support a smoother recovery. Through a proactive, medically guided approach that may include strength and conditioning, nutritional optimization, metabolic assessment, and risk factor management, they help improve resilience, reduce complications, and enhance healing. Call the office or book your appointment online today to prepare for surgery with confidence.

What is surgical prehabilitation?

Surgical prehabilitation is a proactive, medically guided program that helps prepare your body for surgery before your procedure takes place. Rather than waiting until after surgery to focus on recovery, prehabilitation works to improve your strength, endurance, nutrition, and overall health ahead of time so you can go into surgery in the best condition possible.

Surgery places stress on the body, and your physical condition beforehand can play an important role in how well you heal. Surgical prehabilitation is designed to improve resilience, support recovery, and reduce the risk of complications.

Why is surgical prehabilitation important?

Your health before surgery can directly affect your surgical outcome. When you are stronger, better nourished, and medically optimized before a procedure, your body is often better able to tolerate surgery and recover afterward.

Surgical prehabilitation may help:

• Improve strength and endurance before surgery
• Support faster recovery
• Reduce the risk of complications
• Shorten recovery time
• Promote better wound healing
• Improve confidence and readiness going into surgery

At The Laurel Highlands Center, your provider takes a whole-body approach to help you prepare physically and medically for your procedure.

What does the Surgical Prehabilitation Program include?

The Surgical Prehabilitation Program is personalized to your health status, surgical needs, and recovery goals. Your care begins with a comprehensive evaluation to identify factors that may affect your surgical outcome, such as reduced strength, poor nutrition, metabolic concerns, or chronic medical conditions.

Depending on your needs, your plan may include:

• Strength and conditioning recommendations
• Cardiovascular fitness support
• Nutrition counseling to optimize protein and nutrient intake
• Metabolic evaluation and medical optimization
• Weight management support, when appropriate
• Guidance to improve mobility and functional status
• Risk factor reduction, including support for smoking cessation or blood sugar control

This structured approach helps build physical reserve before surgery so your body is better prepared for the demands of the procedure and recovery.

Who can benefit from surgical prehabilitation?

Surgical prehabilitation can benefit many patients planning for an upcoming procedure, especially those undergoing orthopedic, abdominal, bariatric, or other major surgeries. It may be particularly helpful if you have underlying health concerns that could affect healing or recovery.

You may benefit from prehabilitation if you have:

• Low strength or poor endurance
• Excess weight or metabolic concerns
• Diabetes or insulin resistance
• Poor nutrition or low protein intake
• Reduced mobility
• A history of slow recovery after surgery
• Multiple chronic health conditions

Your provider evaluates your overall health and surgical goals to determine the right strategy for you.

What are the risks of going into surgery unprepared?

Without proper preparation, surgery can be harder on the body and recovery may be more challenging. Poor strength, limited mobility, inadequate nutrition, and unmanaged medical issues can increase the risk of complications and delay healing.

Going into surgery without optimization may contribute to:

• Longer recovery time
• Greater fatigue and weakness after surgery
• Higher risk of infection or complications
• Increased loss of muscle mass during recovery
• Delayed return to normal activity
• More difficulty with rehabilitation afterward

That is why taking steps before surgery can make a meaningful difference in how you feel and function after your procedure.

How can surgical prehabilitation improve my recovery?

The Surgical Prehabilitation Program helps you take an active role in your surgical outcome before your procedure even begins. By improving your strength, nutrition, and overall medical readiness, you can support better healing, improve function, and approach surgery with greater confidence.

With personalized care and ongoing support, you can prepare your body for surgery and recovery in a thoughtful, comprehensive way. Call The Laurel Highlands Center or book your appointment online today to get started with your personalized Surgical Prehabilitation Program.