The Rehabilitation Medicine Group

Why do about 50% of people with knee arthritis have pain, whilst 50% are pain free?

Many people think that Pilates is the best exercise for back pain.

But the evidence from a study by Patti A et al, 2024 showed that Pilates exercise was equivalent to other forms of exercise.

When multiple trials were combined, Pilates was found to be better than not doing any exercise.

Bottom line - exercise is good for low back pain.

If you like Pilates or want to try it, feel reassured that it has been found to be safe in 18 to 75 years olds.

A 6 week program was often enough to demonstrate a 17% reduction in pain.

Understandably, when back pain persists, many people become cautious with movement.

It can feel safer to avoid activities that might trigger pain or damage the spine.

Rehabilitation should focus on learning that the spine is designed to change as we age and designed to move. Normalising movements is an important step in recovery.

Normalising movements moves to normalising activity, rebuilding confidence and getting on with life.

Progress gradually with a goal in mind.

If your back pain persists and you want a change of approach, you can find more information and a free educational program below:

https://thermg.com.au/spined/

Many people with persistent back pain have already tried several treatments:

- Physiotherapy.
- Medications.
- Exercises.

Sometimes improvement stalls and this can leave people feeling unsure of what to try next.

Rehabilitation medicine should take a broad approach - looking not only at the spine but also at movement patterns, nervous system sensitivity, sleep, stress and activity levels.

Research shows that recovery starts when pain is understood as danger rather than damage. This allows for reduced protection of the back and restoration of normal movement patterns.

To find out more and understand why pain persists and what to do about it, click on the link to a free program below:

https://thermg.com.au/spined/

Many people assume: “If my back still hurts, something must still be damaged.”

But the relationship between pain and scans is not always straightforward.

Changes such as disc bulges and degeneration are commonly seen on MRI scans - even in people who have no pain at all.

Pain is produced by the brain after it receives and interprets signals from the body.

When pain persists, rehabilitation focuses on helping the body and nervous system become less sensitive to movement again.

Understanding this can change how people approach recovery.

For more information, click on the link below:

https://thermg.com.au/spined/

Back pain is expected to settle.

And often it does.

But for some people, pain continues for months - sometimes years, even when scans look reassuring.

This can be confusing.

The explanation lies in pain being produced by the nervous system to protect the body. Over time that system can become and remain increasingly sensitive, even after tissues have healed.

When this happens, rehabilitation needs to focus on reducing sensitivity and reducing the protective response to allow normal movements and activities.

Understanding why pain persists is often the first step toward moving forward.

That's why we've created a free educational program available here:

https://thermg.com.au/spined/

This might sound familiar...

You developed back pain.
You did the right things.
You saw your doctor.
You tried physiotherapy.
And yet the pain is still there.

Often a scan report says something like:
“degeneration”
“disc bulge”
“facet joint arthritis”

It’s easy to assume that these findings must be the cause of the pain.

But here is something that often surprises people.

Many of these same changes are also seen in people who have no back pain at all.

The relationship between pain and what appears on a scan is not always straightforward.

When pain persists, rehabilitation focuses less on the scan itself and more time focussing on what actually leads to persistent pain.

Understanding this difference is an important step forward.

If you would like to explore this idea further, you can read more about it below and enrol in a free educational program.

https://thermg.com.au/spined/

It’s estimated that 70% of people recover well from an episode of back pain in 12 weeks.

But that still leaves 1 in 3 people with pain.

And often this pain is associated with difficulty sitting, walking and bending.

It can interfere with exercise, sleep and other activities.

When we look at MRI and CT scans, the way the back looks usually doesn’t tell us who will get better and who won’t.

Unlocking why and how people recover well informs our pain rehabilitation programs.

Welcome to The Rehabilitation Medicine Group.

This page is for people whose pain has persisted longer than expected after knee replacement, spinal surgery or due to non-surgical back conditions.

Continuing pain can impact on walking, sleep, confidence or daily life.

This experience is more common than most people realise.

Persistent pain does not necessarily mean that something has gone wrong.

Often, it reflects how the nervous system and body adapt after injury or following surgery, becoming more sensitive and protective over time.

At The Rehabilitation Medicine Group, we focus on pain rehabilitation:

- understanding why pain can persist
- explaining pain in clear, non-alarming ways
- and sharing evidence-based strategies used in rehabilitation medicine when recovery has not followed a straight forward path.

Our programs are developed by Dr Nathan Johns, a specialist Rehabilitation Medicine Physician and are based on contemporary pain science and clinical research.

If you’re here to better understand pain, you’re in the right place.

Th page is educational only and is not intended to provide individual medical advice, diagnose conditions or replace care from your clinicians.

The Kneed trial results:

Now available to the public: https://thermg.com.au/kneed/