Prehabilitation team educates and supports patients waiting for surgery

A woman who underwent knee surgery has thanked the team who supported her to be as fit and healthy as possible while she waited.

Bernadette Kane, from Swansea, was referred to the orthopaedic prehabilitation service while she waited for a knee replacement.

The team offers a range of support to help keep people waiting for new hips or knees in the best possible shape for their upcoming surgery.

It ranges from weight management and exercise classes, physiotherapy, steroid injections for pain management, and mobility aids such as walking sticks or knee braces.

Pictured: Bernadette (seated) with physiotherapy assistant Natalie McCarthy, musculoskeletal physiotherapist Alice Mayo, dietetic assistant practitioner Rhiannon Rogers, physiotherapist Natalie Capel and highly specialist weight management dietician Nadia Kudrjasova.

After being referred to the service, Bernadette opted for the weight management and physiotherapy sessions.

“I had a phone call to be assessed by the physiotherapist where I was weighed,” the 65-year-old said.

“I started going for group sessions with a dietician and also did group physiotherapy sessions in the gym for six weeks.

“We would do chair-based exercises and then started using dumbbells and resistance bands. You would build up a sweat during that half an hour.

“I never thought I could do it but I did and I could feel my body changing shape and toning up.

“During the weight management sessions, we learned about portion sizes and hydration which have been a great improvement for me.

“We would be told what was good for us and had worksheets to fill in and reading to do outside of the sessions which was great.”

The service offers sessions either face-to-face or virtually, with patients able to choose which would suit them best.

Rhiannon Rogers, dietetic assistant practitioner, said: “The service aims to optimise patients’ health and get them physically and mentally ready for up-and-coming surgery.

“We know that when patients prepare appropriately for surgery, they get better outcomes and tend to recover a lot quicker.

“Once patients are referred by their consultant, they are sent an invitation to our service which they can choose to attend.

“For the weight management element, we start off by teaching the patients about protein, carbohydrates and portion sizes, as well as the regularity of meals and mindful eating.

“We then try to tailor the sessions to suit the needs of the patients. For instance, for patients with joint problems we would look at foods that can help reduce inflammation.

“The group sessions I deliver run for 12 weeks and at the end we write to the planned care team to let them know how the patient has got on.

“We get really good feedback from patients who say they feel really cared for by our service.”

As a result of the weight management and physiotherapy sessions, Bernadette managed to lose a stone in weight.

But before she could finish the programme, she was called for her knee replacement.

“I missed the last three weight management sessions because of my surgery but I wanted to finish them so I joined the virtual sessions instead,” she said.

“I found being part of a group was part of my healing. It helped to motivate me.

“We could share our experiences with other people going through the same thing.”

After having her left knee replaced in January this year, Bernadette has been able to walk without a stick and can also enjoy her garden much more than she previously could.

In November 2019, she had her right knee replaced and had to do a lot of her recovery at home due to the pandemic.

She added: “It took six months for my right knee to settle down after I had it replaced whereas this time it took a matter of weeks for me to feel the difference.

“I have noticed I have managed to recover much quicker.

“Previously I could barely get in and out of the car and I struggled to get out of the chair and to walk up the stairs.

“But now I can walk up and down my garden which has 13 steps. It took me months to do that after my right knee replacement but this one took me weeks.

“I don’t walk with a stick anymore either and I can walk a lot further without stopping. I forget I’ve had an operation, it just feels so normal.

“The service was absolutely brilliant – I can’t fault it.”

Chris Lambert, service clinical lead and an advanced practice physiotherapist, said: “It’s great to see patients giving our service such amazing feedback.

“This is a good example of how appropriate preparation for surgery really makes a difference to patient’s recovery.

“Allowing a speedier return to a better quality life post–surgery.”