The Rehabilitation Medicine Group
Our Mission
is to develop, research and deliver
the next generation of rehabilition programs,
available to all, online, anywhere and anytime
Kneed is our first digital pain rehabilitation program
Developed by Dr Nathan Johns at Monash University, Kneed is an evidence-based online program designed and researched for people whose pain persists after knee replacement.
Drawing on decades of research across pain science, rehabilitation medicine, and musculoskeletal health—and grounded in a biopsychosocial approach—Kneed translates current evidence into structured education, exercise and practical strategies that can be completed at home.
A randomised controlled trial of Kneed was completed in 2024–25, with results published in the medical journal Clinical Rehabilitation.
Advancing our programs with AI - chat with Hope
ReSpine: Pain rehabilitation for people with spinal canal stenosis
Our digital program for people with lumbar spinal canal stenosis causing back and/or lower limb pain has been developed directly from our evidence-based Kneed program.
This program provides education about spinal canal stenosis, why it causes pain in some people and how to reduce it with exercise and strategies.
Dr Nathan Johns
MBBS (Hons), FAFRM (RACP), PhD
Founder and Director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Group
Dr Johns is a specialist Rehabilitation Medicine Physician from Melbourne, Australia.
He graduated as a medical practitioner from Monash University in 1996 and as a specialist in 2005.
In 2025, he completed a PhD with the Epworth Monash Rehabilitation Medicine Unit (EMREM), in the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash University.
His research has been published in international medical journals.
About the Rehabilitation Medicine Group
Dr Johns founded The Rehabilitation Medicine Group in 2013 with a multidisciplinary team of doctors, physiotherapist, occupational therapist and psychologists focused on providing an evidence-based program of education, exercise and strategies to treat persistent pain.
But as a specialist doctor located in Melbourne, Australia, Dr Johns came to realise that access to the practice and the team’s clinical skills and knowledge was limited by cost, time and place.
This led to thinking, what if we can deliver rehabilitation medicine directly to people online?
So during a 7 year PhD, Dr Johns researched the science of why pain persists after surgery, examined the evidence for the best way to treat it and developed this into the online program called Kneed.
ReSpine to treat pain related to spinal canal stenosis has been subsequently developed from Kneed and Dr Johns continues to further research and develop online rehabilitation programs.
Our Research
Evidence is at the heart of our programs
At the Rehabilitation Medicine Group, we ensure that rehabilitation is both safe and effective — which is why every program is grounded in scientific research.
Evidence-based design: Our programs draw from peer-reviewed research, including studies on exercise, rehabilitation strategies, and pain management.
Critical evaluation: Each program module is built only from components with strong scientific rationale and/or published evidence.
Kneed Program research: The development of our knee rehabilitation program has been informed by our studies on:
The prevalence and trajectory of pain after knee replacement (3-year outcomes)
The role of inpatient rehabilitation in prevention of persistent pain
The evidence for rehabilitation approaches to persistent pain after knee replacement
Kneed, has been evaluated in a pilot randomised controlled trial and this has been published in the Medical Journal of Clinical Rehabilitation.
Videos
A short introduction to Kneed and the Rehabilitation Medicine Group
Our TOP 5 tips for reducing persistent pain after knee replacement
Latest Post
With rising numbers of knee replacements being performed in Australia each year,the number of people needing help with pain that persists after knee replacement is also expected to rise.
The graph shows the increasing numbers of knee replacements (including primary total, primary partial and revision) over the past decade in Australia (data source: https://aoanjrr.sahmri.com/home). The years 2020 – 2022 demonstrate the impact of Covid-19.
