Preparing for Surgery? Your Recovery Starts Before the Operation
Surgery can be a major physical and emotional event. Whether you are preparing for an orthopaedic procedure, hoping to return to sport as quickly as possible, or simply wondering whether your body is truly ready for surgery, it is natural to have questions.
Am I fit enough for surgery? Is my body prepared? And what can I do now to give myself the best possible chance of a smooth and strong recovery?
As a sports physician, I often see patients who only start thinking about their recovery after surgery. But in many cases, the recovery process can and should start much earlier.
Together with Flora Muijzer, physioflora.es physiotherapist & founder of Physio Flora, we believe in preparing your body before surgery, not simply treating it afterwards.
Your recovery starts before the first incision
Surgery places a physical demand on your body. The better your starting point, the more prepared you may be to deal with the stress of surgery and the rehabilitation that follows.
That is why, at Costa Sports Medicine, we offer a comprehensive pre-operative screening designed to assess your health, fitness, physical capacity and potential risk factors before your procedure.
The goal is simple: to understand where you are today and identify opportunities to optimise your preparation before surgery.
Looking beyond the operation itself
During your pre-operative screening, we take a comprehensive look at you as an individual.
As a sports physician, I assess your medical history, current health, lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors. We evaluate your heart, lungs and major blood vessels, measure your blood pressure and perform a resting ECG. If necessary, we even will do an exercise test. We also assess your physical profile, including height, weight, body fat percentage and waist circumference.
In addition, antioxidant status can be screened using PrysmIO.
Together, these assessments help us build a clearer picture of your current health and physical capacity before your operation.
From screening to a personal preparation plan
The value of a pre-operative screening is not simply in the tests themselves. The most important question is: what can we do with the information we learn?
This is where our collaboration comes in. As a sports physician,
I look at your overall medical health and exercise physiology. Flora Muijzer, physiotherapist at Physio Flora, focuses on your physical function, movement and capacity to prepare your body for the demands ahead. In practice, this means a full movement and strength assessment to spot restrictions or imbalances that could slow your recovery, hands-on manual therapy to improve joint mobility ahead of surgery, and a tailored prehabilitation programme to build the strength your body will need for rehabilitation. Flora also uses this time to set realistic expectations for the weeks after your operation, so you know what recovery will involve and how to protect the rest of your body while you heal.
By combining our expertise, we can provide you with a more complete picture of your starting point and, where appropriate, personalised advice on how to prepare for your surgery.
Depending on your individual situation, this may include optimising your fitness, improving your physical capacity, addressing lifestyle factors or making sure you are physically and medically prepared for the next step.
Don't wait until after surgery to start your recovery
Of course, no screening can eliminate every surgical risk, and recovery will always depend on many individual factors. But knowing where you stand before surgery gives you the opportunity to take action where it may be possible.
Why wait until after surgery to start thinking about your recovery?
Your operation may be scheduled for a specific date. Your preparation can start today.
Our aim is to help you enter surgery as fit, strong and well prepared as possible – so that you can begin your recovery from the best possible starting point.
Who can benefit from a pre-operative screening?
A pre-operative screening may be valuable for:
- Anyone preparing for a planned surgical procedure
- Athletes who want to return to activity and sport safely and efficiently
- People who are unsure whether they are physically fit enough for surgery
- Anyone who wants a better understanding of their health, fitness and physical capacity before an operation
If you want to book a screening or if you are looking for more information, mail us at costasportsmedicine@gmail.com or what’s app +34 611 31 94 54
Contact details
Costa Sports Medicine
Marbella & Mijas, Costa del Sol
costasportsmedicine@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +34 611 31 94 54
costasportsmedicine.com
Physio Flora | Expert Physiotherapy & Sports Performance
Riviera del Sol & Marbella Nueva Andalucia, Costa del Sol
hello@physioflora.es
WhatsApp: +34 711 059 592 / or Call: +34 711 059 592
physioflora.es