The Current Status and Development Prospects of Rehabilitation Surgery

With the evolution of clinical medical models and the deepening of multidisciplinary collaboration, rehabilitation medicine and surgical techniques have become increasingly integrated and developed. consequently, the concept of "rehabilitation surgery" has been proposed and gradually recognized as a potential subspecialty within rehabilitation medicine. In the narrow sense, rehabilitation surgery draws on international interdisciplinary models, employing surgical interventions to improve function, reduce disability, prevent and manage complications, and enhance patients' self-care abilities and quality of life. This has led to the emergence of a new rehabilitation subspecialty with the primary goal of facilitating patients' reintegration into society. Various surgical interventions are now widely applied in rehabilitation medicine and play a critical role in functional improvement. These interventions include deformity correction, functional reconstruction, invasive neuromodulation, pain relief, medical aesthetic plastic surgery, and prevention and treatment of complications. Broadly, rehabilitation surgery encompasses enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), integrated clinical rehabilitation approaches, and the narrow concept of rehabilitation surgery. Developing rehabilitation surgery in its narrow sense holds particular professional significance and is envisioned to develop along two pathways: structural rehabilitation surgery, emphasizing structural reconstruction, deformity correction, and aesthetic reconstruction; and functional rehabilitation surgery, focusing on functional restoration, pain relief, and complication prevention. Nevertheless, the development of rehabilitation surgery remains constrained by multiple factors. Establishing a clear disciplinary framework, enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration, standardizing clinical protocols, and strengthening workforce training are essential for its advancement. This article systematically reviews the concept, current status and clinical applications of surgical techniques within rehabilitation surgery and provides recommendations for future discipline development, providing a reference for the further evolution of this emerging subspecialty.