Dr Nathan Johns
MBBS (Hons), FAFRM (RACP), PhD (Monash)
Specialist Rehabilitation Medicine Physician
Dr Johns is a medical doctor with over 20 years’ of specialist experience working with people living with complex and persistent pain.
Clinical focus
Dr Johns’ clinical work focuses on rehabilitation, especially when recovery does not follow a straight forward path — such as when when pain persists after surgery, injury or long-standing musculoskeletal conditions.
He has extensive experience across rehabilitation medicine, including in persistent pain (post-surgical pain, joint pain, spinal pain, neuropathic pain), orthopaedic rehabilitation (after trauma, fracture or joint replacement), neurological rehabilitation (stroke, brain injury and Parkinson’s disease), and rehabilitation for older adults.
His approach is grounded in rehabilitation medicine and pain science, with a strong emphasis on education, improving function and supporting people to live their best life.
Why online rehabilitation?
Through years of clinical practice, Dr Johns observed that many people continued to experience pain and functional limitations despite appropriate surgery and rehabilitation.
In many cases, tissues had healed as expected, yet pain persisted due to changes in how the nervous system processed and responded to movement, sensation, and threat.
This clinical gap led to the development of Kneed, an online pain rehabilitation program created as part of Dr Johns’ doctoral research, designed to improve access to evidence-based pain rehabilitation beyond traditional clinic settings.
Research and teaching
Dr Johns completed his doctoral research at Monash University, investigating persistent pain after knee replacement and the feasibility of delivering rehabilitation through a digital self-management program.
This work included the development and evaluation of Kneed in a randomised controlled trial.
He is an adjunct lecturer at Monash University’s Peninsula Clinical School, teaching medical students about pain and rehabilitation and he is an accredited supervisor and examiner of Advanced Trainee specialists for the Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).
He is involved in research at Bayside Health (Peninsula campus) and Monash University.
Leadership and clinical roles
Dr Johns has held senior clinical leadership roles in rehabilitation medicine, including Clinical Director positions overseeing rehabilitation medicine, aged care, palliative care, and persistent pain services within the public health system.
He continues to work clinically in rehabilitation medicine and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to support people with complex rehabilitation needs.
Professional scope
Dr Johns’ online work through The Rehabilitation Medicine Group is focused on education and rehabilitation.
Online programs do not replace individual medical assessment or treatment and are designed for people who have already been medically reviewed and are seeking structured, evidence-based rehabilitation strategies.
This distinction between clinical care and education is intentional and reflects professional and ethical standards.
Dr Johns consults at Brighton Spine and Sports Group.
Learn more
To learn more about the work developed through Dr Johns’ research, you can explore Kneed or begin with Free Kneed, a short educational introduction.
To understand the broader mission and approach, visit About The Rehabilitation Medicine Group.
