Preparing for surgery can feel overwhelming, especially when you are dealing with pain, limited mobility, or uncertainty about what recovery will look like. Physiotherapy can help you feel more prepared before your procedure and more confident about the steps that come after.
Pre-surgical physiotherapy is often called prehabilitation, or prehab. The goal is to improve strength, mobility, movement control, and overall function before surgery. When your body is better prepared going into surgery, it may be easier to participate in your post-surgical rehabilitation and return to daily activities with more confidence.
Prehab can be helpful for many orthopedic surgeries, including hip replacement, knee replacement, shoulder surgery, ACL reconstruction, meniscus surgery, rotator cuff repair, and other procedures involving the joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or spine.
At CORPEO, located in Gloucester Centre in Ottawa’s east end, our physiotherapy team works with patients before and after orthopedic surgery. We create personalized plans based on your condition, your surgeon’s recommendations, your current function, and your recovery goals. Our goal is to help you understand what to expect, prepare your body for surgery, and support a smoother transition into post-operative rehabilitation.
Surgery is only one part of the recovery process. What you do before surgery can help set the stage for how you move, strengthen, and rebuild afterward.
Pain, stiffness, swelling, weakness, and limited mobility can make it harder to stay active before surgery. These issues may also make the early stages of recovery feel more challenging. Pre-surgical physiotherapy can help address these factors in a safe and structured way before your procedure.
Prehab may help you:
Your physiotherapist can also help you plan for the early recovery period. This may include education about mobility aids, home setup, pacing, swelling management, and safe movement strategies.
Pre-surgical physiotherapy can be useful for many orthopedic procedures. Your plan will depend on your diagnosis, your current function, your surgeon’s instructions, and the type of surgery you are preparing for.
Common surgical pathways we support include:
Before hip replacement surgery, physiotherapy can help improve hip mobility, leg strength, walking tolerance, and confidence with daily movement. Your physiotherapist may also help you prepare for post-operative tasks such as getting in and out of a chair, using stairs, walking with a mobility aid, and following movement precautions if they apply.
Knee replacement surgery is often recommended when arthritis or joint changes significantly affect pain and function. Prehab can help improve knee range of motion, leg strength, balance, walking mechanics, and tolerance for activity before surgery.
Shoulder procedures may involve the rotator cuff, labrum, joint, or surrounding soft tissues. Pre-surgical physiotherapy can help maintain safe mobility, support shoulder blade control, improve strength where appropriate, and prepare you for the early stages of post-operative rehabilitation.
Before ACL reconstruction, it is often helpful to improve knee mobility, reduce swelling, build quadriceps and hamstring strength, and restore better walking mechanics. This can support a stronger foundation before surgery and help prepare you for the rehabilitation process afterward.
Meniscus injuries can affect knee pain, swelling, mobility, and confidence with walking or squatting. Prehab may focus on knee range of motion, leg strength, swelling management, balance, and movement control.
Some people benefit from physiotherapy before spine surgery or other orthopedic procedures. Treatment may focus on mobility, core control, strength, walking tolerance, education, and strategies to help manage daily activities before and after surgery.
Every person’s experience before surgery is different. Some people are limited by pain and stiffness. Others are still active but want to prepare properly and understand what to expect.
Common concerns before surgery may include:
Physiotherapy can help you address these concerns with a clear, practical plan.
Pre-surgical physiotherapy is personalized to your procedure, your current abilities, and your goals. Your physiotherapist will assess how you move now and help you build a plan that supports both preparation and recovery.
At CORPEO, your assessment may include a discussion about your diagnosis, upcoming surgery, surgeon’s recommendations, pain levels, mobility, strength, work demands, home setup, activity goals, and previous injuries or surgeries. Your physiotherapist may also assess range of motion, strength, walking, balance, swelling, posture, transfers, stairs, and functional movements related to your daily life.
Based on your assessment, your pre-surgical physiotherapy plan may include:
Gentle mobility work can help reduce stiffness and improve how the affected joint or region moves before surgery. This may make it easier to participate in rehabilitation after your procedure.
Targeted strengthening can help prepare the muscles around the surgical area. Depending on your surgery, this may include the hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, core, or upper body.
If your surgery affects your hip, knee, ankle, foot, spine, or walking ability, your physiotherapist may work on balance, gait mechanics, stairs, and safe movement strategies.
Understanding what to expect after surgery can make the recovery process feel less uncertain. Your physiotherapist can review early rehabilitation goals, general timelines, movement precautions, swelling management, and activity pacing based on your procedure and surgeon’s guidance.
Some patients need a walker, cane, crutches, brace, or other support after surgery. Physiotherapy can help you learn safe use before your procedure. Your physiotherapist may also discuss practical home setup strategies, such as stairs, chairs, bathroom safety, and getting in and out of bed.
Your physiotherapist can provide guidance on positioning, gentle movement, pacing, and recovery strategies to help manage discomfort and swelling before and after surgery.
Your pre-surgical physiotherapy plan is built around your specific surgery and your surgeon’s recommendations. We understand that many patients are referred by orthopedic surgeons and may be preparing for a procedure within a specific timeline.
Your physiotherapist will work with you to make the most of the time before surgery. For some people, that means building strength and mobility over several weeks or months. For others, it may mean learning key exercises, practicing safe walking, and preparing for the early post-operative period.
After surgery, physiotherapy can continue as part of your rehabilitation plan. Your treatment will be adjusted based on your procedure, healing timeline, post-operative restrictions, and goals.
Book Your Pre-Surgical Assessment
Receive a Personalized Prehab Plan
Improve Strength, Mobility, Balance, and Confidence Before Surgery
Transition into Post-Surgical Rehabilitation with a Clear Plan
If you have an orthopedic surgery approaching, physiotherapy can help you prepare your body, understand your recovery, and feel more confident about the process ahead. Contact CORPEO today to schedule a pre-surgical physiotherapy assessment at our Gloucester Centre clinic in Ottawa’s east end and learn how we can support you before and after surgery.
