Pre-hab vs. Rehab Effects
on Simulated Bed Rest

Young (6 months) and old (30 months) rats are given 10 days of exercise prior (Pre-hab) or after (Rehab) 7 days of simulated bed rest (hindlimb unweighting or HLU). Before Pre-hab or before bed rest, gait (stride length and width) measures are taken. Following exercise or HLU, gait measures are taken again. Muscle strength (force) is evaluated as an end point as well as muscle mass and total contractile protein.

Results to date indicate: old rats walk with much shorter strides and have a much wider stride width. These gait differences are magnified with the unweighting.

Exercise is very effective, reducing the changes in muscle force and mass by ~50%. Pre-hab favors faster recovery from HLU and prevents the loss of bone (tibia) seen with HLU and in Rehab rats.
Results suggest that pre-habilitation should be strongly considered as an additional rehabilitation option for patients with elective procedures.