What is Prehab?
While we have all heard of rehab, short for rehabilitation, prehab is a newer and more enigmatic term that is floating around in the fitness realm. Prehab simply refers to working on any minor issues to prevent them from becoming bigger. The idea is to avoid pain, dysfunction, injuries and rehab, by staying in balance. Prehab is also sometimes referred to as corrective exercise.
Why Should I Do Prehab?
It is estimated that as many as 1 billion people will suffer from an injury or chronic pain this year. It only makes sense that we would want to start taking measures to prevent these ailments instead of battling them after they start haunting us.
Tell Me More!
Prehab entails specific and focused exercises or activities for an individual to perform based on their personal needs and physical weaknesses. A prehab program can be designed to build stability, mobility, strength, balance, joint integrity and more.
Another common use of prehab is to prepare someone physically for a surgery or procedure, as well as helping them learn what they will be doing for their rehab afterwards.
Top Prehab benefits include:
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Improved posture
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Decreased risk of injury or chronic pain
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Enhanced movement quality
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Corrections in muscle length, joint alignment, and flexibility
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Better core stability
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Increased muscle strength and power
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Improved functioning at daily activities
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More efficient movement
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Greater proprioception (body awareness) and balance
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Enhanced athletic abilities and skills
What Tools Are Good for Prehab?
Some of the best tools for prehab are resistance bands, which are ideal for this styles of exercise because of their gentle nature, ease of use and versatility. Some of my other favorite tools for prehab are the Better Band and Moball Roller.
Some examples of prehab exercises:
Invest the amount of time it takes to brush your teeth each week and you will start to notice your body feeling and functioning better!
