Pre-surgical physical therapy, or prehabilitation, is a conditioning program to help ease recovery for patients after joint replacement surgery. Prehabilitation is customized to each patient according to their current flexibility, strength and functional abilities. During prehabilitation patients will perform exercises to improve their current strength and flexibility, and they will learn some of the exercises they will be performing after their surgery.

The goal of prehabilitation is to help patients to recover faster after surgery. According to a report in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, physical therapy before joint replacement can help reduce the need for post-operative care by nearly 30 percent, saving an average of $1,215 per patient.