Sep 29, 2026 · 1h 18m
Five days of preparation can change surgical recovery
How to Prepare Your Body for Surgery: Protein, Prehab and the 5 Days That Change Your Recovery | Dr. Rebecca Knackstedt
The conversation reframes surgery as a physiological stressor that patients may influence through nutrition, movement, sleep, and practical planning.
- 1Protein, muscle preservation, targeted exercise, and early movement can support healing before and after surgery.
- 2Prehabilitation may help even when surgery is imminent, with evidence that five days of immunonutrition can improve some outcomes.
- 3Evidence-based preparation includes mental readiness, social support, pain control, home planning, and careful evaluation of supplements.
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Rebecca Knackstedt explains why even five days of immunonutrition may improve outcomes for some cancer patients before surgery.
The brief
Rebecca Knackstedt and Gabrielle Lyon make the case for prehabilitation: preparing sleep, stress, nutrition, movement, social support, and the home before surgery rather than treating recovery as an afterthought.
The central physiological problem is catabolism. Surgery drives inflammation, protein breakdown, activity restrictions, and muscle loss, making protein intake and functional strength central to recovery.
Knackstedt translates the framework into practical decisions, from roughly two grams of protein per kilogram to early walking, multimodal pain control, grocery planning, and evidence-based supplement review.
The episode’s most consequential claim arrives late: even five days of immunonutrition may improve outcomes for some cancer patients, challenging the idea that preparation is pointless when time is short.
Prehabilitation remains outside standard care because reimbursement, access, education, and cancer-care costs complicate implementation, despite its potential to reduce complications and healthcare use.