Evidence-Based Online Pain Rehabilitation Programs
Persistent pain can continue even when surgery or treatment has been technically successful. Our online rehabilitation programs are designed to help people understand why pain persists and learn practical, evidence-based strategies to improve movement, confidence and participation in life. Developed by a Rehabilitation Medicine specialist, these programs extend clinical pain rehabilitation beyond the traditional clinic setting.
Developed by a specialist Rehabilitation Medicine Physician
The Rehabilitation Medicine Group was founded by Dr Nathan Johns, a specialist Rehabilitation Medicine Physician with over 20 years’ experience working with people whose recovery has not followed a straightforward path.
Through his clinical work, Dr Johns repeatedly saw people whose surgery or treatment had been technically successful, yet pain persisted, limiting walking, confidence and participation in activities they valued.
The lack of accessible, evidence-based rehabilitation options for this group led Dr Johns to undertake doctoral research and develop research-led online pain rehabilitation programs, designed to extend rehabilitation medicine beyond traditional clinic settings.
Pain can persist even when healing has occurred
After knee replacement
Most people recover well after knee replacement surgery.
However, for some, pain can continue for months or even years despite the knee joint healing as expected.
Persistent pain after knee replacement is common and does not necessarily mean that something has gone wrong with the surgery or the implant.
In many cases, ongoing pain reflects how the nervous system adapts after osteoarthritis and surgery, becoming more sensitive and protective lasting beyond surgical healing.
After spinal surgery
Recovery after spinal surgery can be straight forward for some people and not for others with pain sometimes continuing for months or years.
Persistent pain after spinal surgery does not necessarily mean that something has gone wrong with the surgery.
Persistent pain can develop in the lead up to surgery or following surgery due to changes to both the body and the nervous system.
Non-surgical back pain
Back and lower limb pain associated with spinal degenerative changes, disc changes, facet joint changes and spinal canal stenosis can affect most people at some stage in their life.
Most people recover after the first episode whilst others can continue to experience pain and difficulty walking and bending even when scans appear “normal” or unchanged.
Ongoing pain does not usually mean that the spine is being damaged. It often reflects sensitivity of the nervous system and how it responds to long-standing structural changes, changes in movement, exercise, sleep and worry.
What is pain rehabilitation?
Pain rehabilitation is a medical approach used when pain persists longer than expected and a full recovery has not occurred.
Rather than focusing only on a body part or scan findings, pain rehabilitation looks at how pain is produced and maintained by the nervous system alongside the physical, psychological and social factors that influence recovery.
In rehabilitation medicine, this approach is commonly used to help people:
Understand why pain persists
Gradually restore movement and confidence
Reduce pain flare-ups and avoidance of activity
Improve sleep, daily function and participation in life
Pain rehabilitation does not suggest that pain is made up or “all in the head”.
It recognises that persistent pain is real, complex and influenced by how the body and nervous system adapt over time leading to heightened sensitivity and protection.
Rehabilitation Medicine: Delivered Online
The Rehabilitation Medicine Group has developed online programs based on the science of rehabilitation medicine, a medical specialty for people who have activity limitations and participation restrictions due to the effects of injury, illness or disease.
For people with persistent pain, this approach focuses initially on understanding how pain is produced and maintained by the nervous system and how this protective system impacts function and enjoyment of life.
Rehabilitation medicine considers the physical, psychological and social factors that influence pain and recovery.
Our programs are designed to be accessible at home, self-paced and evidence-based, supporting people to understand their pain and use exercise and strategies aimed at reducing pain so that activities and life can be enjoyed again.
Kneed: Our Foundational Pain Rehabilitation Program
Kneed is an evidence-based online pain rehabilitation program developed for people with persistent pain after knee replacement.
Developed during a doctoral research program and evaluated in a pilot randomised controlled trial, Kneed forms the foundation for The Rehabilitation Medicine Group’s approach to online rehabilitation.
It shows how education, self-management and rehabilitation medicine principles can be translated into a safe and accessible digital program.
Applying pain rehabilitation to other conditions: Spined
Spined is an online pain rehabilitation program developed from Kneed for people with back and/or leg pain and difficulty walking and functioning, for non-surgical and post-spinal surgerical pain.
It applies the same evidence-based rehabilitation medicine approach used in Kneed, supporting pain understanding and self-management with education, exercise and strategies.
The program aims to reduce pain and improve function (such as walking and bending) to improve enjoyment of life.
The Rehabilitation Medicine Group develops programs informed by established evidence in pain science and rehabilitation medicine.
Kneed was created as part of doctoral research and evaluated in a pilot randomised controlled trial, providing a research foundation for how we design and deliver online pain rehabilitation.
This evidence base supports an education-based, self-management approach when pain persists beyond expected healing time.
For Clinicians
Rehabilitation medicine education grounded in clinical practice.
The Rehabilitation Medicine Group provides structured educational content for doctors training and working in rehabilitation medicine.
Clinical education focuses on developing conceptual frameworks, clinical reasoning, maximising performance, professional development and leadership.
Rehabilitation Medicine Gold is delivevered as a free weekly essay.
