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So the number of steps you take each day can say a lot about your health. Upping your step count can help boost everything from mood to metabolism, even longevity. And now a new study finds another benefit, improving your odds of a successful recovery after surgery. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.
ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Millions of Americans undergo surgeries that require a hospital stay, everything from heart bypass, spinal procedures, joint replacements or abdominal surgery. And when a patient is discharged, getting them back on their feet is very important, explains surgeon Timothy Pawlik of the Ohio State University.
TIMOTHY PAWLIK: Patients who are doing well are more likely to move more. And mobility can help preserve lung function, reduce deconditioning, lower the risk of blood clots and, you know, support overall physiological recovery.
AUBREY: A step count can serve as a gauge for recovery. Pawlik and his collaborators wanted to know exactly how predictive it can be. They analyzed patient data from the National Institutes of Health All of Us study, a project aimed at advancing personalized medicine. They found that among nearly 2,000 patients who underwent surgery, those who took the most steps did better.
PAWLIK: So specifically, with every thousand steps that a patient took, it was roughly equivalent to about an 18% reduction in their chance of having a complication or a poor outcome.
AUBREY: Pawlik says he often asks patients how they're feeling, which is important, but also subjective. Using data from a step counter on your smartwatch or other device is a helpful metric for him to track progress and can also be motivating for patients.
PAWLIK: So I think in some sense, this can be empowering to patients because it puts it within their reach that they can actually, you know, take action to really improve their outcomes.
AUBREY: The new study is published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. It shows just how strong the connection is between walking and recovery, says Dr. Samir Sinha, a geriatrician at Sinai Health and the University Health Network in Toronto.
SAMIR SINHA: I love the study because, you know, it was really clear that the more you move, you know, the better and more quickly you're going to actually recover. And by just having something as simple as a step counter, you can really empower both patients, but also their providers.
AUBREY: It's a win-win, Dr. Sinha says. And it's more evidence that information is power.
Allison Aubrey, NPR News.
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