If you’ve ever had surgery, especially an orthopedic one, you’ve probably had rehabilitation therapy. In recent years, orthopedic surgery plans have begun to include a period of “prehabilitation” exercise to help prepare patients for their procedure. Now, researchers have demonstrated that a pre-surgery work-out routine combined with some dietary changes may be able to help cancer patients regain their baseline strength levels sooner. A story on NPR’s Shots blog described the recent study:
Researchers from McGill University in Montreal studied 77 patients scheduled for colorectal cancer surgery. A kinesiologist gave the patients aerobic exercises and strength training to do at home. A registered dietitian gave them nutritional counseling and prescribed a whey supplement to make up any protein deficits, and a psychologist provided anxiety-reducing relaxation exercises.
Half of the patients were told to start the program before surgery – an average of about 25 days before – and to continue afterward for eight weeks. The other group was told to start right after surgery.
Not surprisingly, the group assigned to prehabilitation did better on a presurgery test that measured how far they could walk in 6 minutes. And it paid off.
Two months after surgery, the prehabilitation group walked an average of 23.7 meters farther than when they started the study. Rehab-only patients walked an average of 21.8 meters less than when they started. (A change of 20 meters is considered clinically significant.) And a greater proportion of the prehabilitation group was back to baseline exercise capacity by then.
Because of the methology the researchers used, it’s not clear how the diet or the exercise prescribed in the pre-surgery regimen affected the outcome. Previous studies that looked at exercise-only regimens did not show post-surgery improvements. A larger study with a more varied pool of patients is likely needed for definitive answers.
Previously: Wellness after cancer: Stanford opens clinic to address survivors’ needs and A call for rehab services for cancer survivors
Photo by thinkpanama
