Thu Sep 4, 6:08 PM ET

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Exercising before surgery can get the body into shape and help recovery after an operation, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

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They said tests on rats had confirmed what many health experts had suspected -- that being in shape helps the body bounce back after a prolonged recovery.

Perhaps the information could be used to persuade insurers to cover "pre-habilitation" programs, the team at the University of Missouri-Columbia said.

"It just makes sense that if we could help people get in shape before surgery, we could eliminate functional decline after an operation," Marybeth Brown, a professor of physical therapy who led the study, said in a statement.

"The experiments showed that an accelerated recovery and an exercise program before a period of inactivity are inextricably connected."

Brown and colleagues tested rats to confirm their theory.

Young and old rats were crippled to simulate a long period of bed rest. Those who had been exercised beforehand were able to recover, while out-of-shape rats were not able to learn how to walk again without help.

The effect was much more marked in the older rats, Brown said.

The benefits of exercise after surgery are well known but Brown said she hoped her research would help therapists and physicians understand the potential benefits of exercise before surgery.

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