Waiting for Orthopaedic Surgery: What Can You Do in the Meantime?
Being placed on a waiting list for orthopaedic surgery can feel like being stuck in limbo.
You may have already been dealing with pain, reduced mobility, or limitations in your day-to-day life, and now you’re faced with a period of waiting, often without a clear timeline. It’s understandable that this can feel frustrating or even disheartening.
But this time doesn’t have to be passive.
There is a growing body of evidence showing that what you do before surgery can have a meaningful impact on how well you recover afterwards. This is often referred to as “prehabilitation” and it can play an important role in improving outcomes, reducing complications, and helping you feel more in control of your situation.
1. Keep Moving (Within Your Limits)
It might feel counterintuitive to move when you're in pain, but appropriate, guided movement is often one of the most beneficial things you can do.
This doesn’t mean pushing through pain or following a generic exercise plan. Instead, it’s about:
Maintaining joint mobility
Preserving muscle strength
Supporting circulation and overall function
Even small, consistent efforts can make a difference over time.
2. Build Strength Where You Can
Surgery often places stress on surrounding tissues, and recovery typically requires strength, particularly in muscles that support the affected joint.
For example:
Hip or knee surgery - focus on glutes, quads, and core
Shoulder surgery - focus on scapular stability and upper back strength
Improving strength beforehand can help:
Speed up rehabilitation
Improve confidence in movement post-surgery
Reduce the extent of muscle loss during recovery
3. Manage Pain More Effectively
Pain can be one of the biggest barriers to staying active while you wait.
Hands-on therapies, pacing strategies, and targeted exercise can all help reduce discomfort and improve tolerance to movement. The goal isn’t always to eliminate pain completely, but to make it more manageable so you can continue to function.
Understanding your pain, what aggravates it, what helps, and how it behaves can also give you a greater sense of control.
4. Optimise General Health
Your overall health plays a significant role in surgical outcomes.
Areas to consider include:
Sleep: Supports healing and recovery
Nutrition: Adequate protein and balanced intake can support tissue health
Activity levels: Even light activity can benefit cardiovascular health
Weight management (where appropriate): Can reduce load on joints and surgical risk
These factors are often overlooked, but they can meaningfully influence both surgery and recovery.
5. Understand Your Procedure and Recovery
Having a clearer idea of what to expect can reduce uncertainty and help you prepare mentally and physically.
This might include:
Expected timelines for recovery
Early rehabilitation stages
Temporary limitations post-surgery
What support you may need at home
Being prepared allows you to plan ahead rather than react afterwards.
6. Take a Long-Term View
It’s easy to see surgery as the “fix,” but in reality it’s one part of a longer process.
The habits you build now around movement, strength, and self-management don’t just prepare you for surgery. They also form the foundation of your recovery and long-term outcomes.
Waiting for surgery can feel like a period of inactivity, but it doesn’t have to be.
With the right approach, this time can be used to:
Improve your physical readiness
Build confidence in movement
Set yourself up for a smoother recovery
Small, consistent actions now can make a meaningful difference later.
This is why we developed our Surgical Rehab and Clinical Exercise Intervention pathways. We help to support you before and after to ensure you are well-educated, informed and physically prepared to achieve the best outcomes post-op.
Contact Apollo Health Collective to learn more about our osteopathy and rehabilitation services at our Sheringham, Norwich and Coltishall Clinics.
