Prehabilitation

If your treatment plan involves lymph node removal, prehab is especially important. This is where our service can provide particular clinical value.

We will:

• Take a preoperative baseline measurement of your limb fluid load using bioimpedance assessment
• Educate you on what lymphoedema is, why it can develop, and the early signs to watch for
• Equip you with self-management strategies before your surgery, so you are not learning these for the first time post-operatively

A documented preoperative baseline provides the reference data needed to detect early-stage lymphoedema accurately, support prompt diagnosis, and initiate treatment at the point where it is most effective.

Surgery places significant demands on the body. The fitter and stronger you are going in, the better equipped your body is to manage that stress – and the more smoothly recovery tends to progress.

Prehabilitation before cancer surgery can:

• Improve strength and physical function prior to the procedure
• Reduce the physiological impact of surgical stress
• Support faster, smoother post-operative recovery
• Decrease the likelihood of post-surgical complications

Alongside the physical preparation, we educate you about what the surgery will involve, what your body will go through, and what the recovery pathway may look like.

Your exercise program will be tailored to you, based on your preoperative assessment, current fitness, treatment type, and any other health considerations. There is no one-size-fits-all.

Prehabilitation exercise programs typically include a combination of:

• Aerobic exercise – such as walking or cycling to build cardiovascular capacity
• Resistance and strength training – using light to moderate load to build functional strength
• Mobility and flexibility work – to maintain range of movement and reduce tension
• Breathing exercises – particularly before chest, abdominal, or thoracic surgery

The goal is never to push you to exhaustion. It is to build and maintain your physical capacity in a safe, evidence-informed way – and to give you tools and habits that will continue to serve you through treatment and recovery.

One of the most valuable things prehab offers is the chance to do something constructive with the time before treatment begins, to feel active, prepared, and supported rather than passive.

Education plays a central role. When you understand what is happening to your body, what the procedure or treatment involves, what side effects or changes to watch for, and what your recovery may look like, anxiety tends to reduce.

Our clinicians will take time to:

• Answer your questions in plain language, without jargon
• Set realistic and achievable expectations about treatment and recovery
• Help you feel genuinely prepared, not just physically, but emotionally

The research supports this, with patients who undergo prehab reporting less anxiety, greater confidence going into treatment, and a stronger sense of control over their situation.