Effects of Preoperative Exercises on Reducing Postlaparoscopic Operation Pain in Adults

Background : Preoperative exercise and physical activity (PA) are strongly recommended in prehabilitation for enhanced recovery after surgery. However, the evidence of the effect of preoperative PA on postoperative pain remains inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the hypoalgesic effects of preoperative PA on postlaparoscopic operation pain in adults. Methods: A total of 1600 participants who underwentdifferent types of laparoscopic operations and information on the incidence and severity of pain and other suffering of each patient were periodically recorded at 1, 4, 7, 10 and 24 hours after the operation. The patient’s pain level was rated via a numeric rating scale ranging from 1 (no pain at all) to 5 (excruciating pain). Among the participants, 460 underwent 6 to 8 weeks of preoperative PA at moderate or vigorous intensity. The latent growth models were constructed via structural equation modeling to estimate and select the model that best fit the pain scores collected. Results : Three unconditional growth models fit the data. Among the fitted models, the quadratic model was the best at fitting the trajectory pain scores and was adapted to assess the pain scores after recovery. The results from the quadratic growth model revealed that pain scores were significantly lower than those of non-PA controls for patients who had performed 6 to 8 weeks of preoperative PA at moderate or vigorous intensity. Conclusion : Preoperative moderate-to-vigorous intensity PAs reduce postoperative pain in adults within 24 hours after various types of laparoscopic operations.