Exercise in Perioperative Care

Exercise around surgery, as prehabilitation beforehand and early mobilisation afterwards, aims to improve fitness and physiological reserve so that people recover better, and it may reduce complications and time in hospital.

Surgery is a major physical stress. Fitter people tend to recover better, and complications tend to be more common in people who are physically inactive, although the size of the benefit varies by operation, population and programme. The phrase "waiting lists should be preparation lists" captures the opportunity: the wait for an operation is a window to improve fitness, nutrition and mental readiness.