Knee osteoarthritis: exercise is the treatment, not the warm-up
Osteoarthritis (OA) affects an estimated 2.1 million Australians — 8.3% of the population — and prevalence climbs from about 10% of people aged 45–54 to 30% of those over 75 (AIHW, 2024). In 2021–22 Australian hospitals performed 53,500 knee replacements for it. Most knees never need to get that far.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners’ guideline for knee and hip OA recommends land-based exercise for every person with the condition, and recommends against arthroscopic ‘clean-out’ surgery unless the knee is truly locking. That matches what the programs built on this evidence deliver: GLA:D Australia, the Australian arm of the Danish education-and-exercise program for hip and knee OA, reports an average pain reduction of 36%, reduced painkiller use and a reduced perceived need for surgery among its participants.
Our knee OA work is built on the same principles: understanding what OA is (and is not), a supervised strength program for the thigh, hip and calf that progresses over weeks, and a plan for staying active long-term. Pain during the right kind of exercise is acceptable and expected; pain that is worse the next morning tells us to adjust the dose. For very sore or heavier knees, one-to-one hydrotherapy lets us load the legs in warm water first, and clinical Pilates suits people who want a supervised, low-impact way to keep going.
ACL and ligament injuries: surgery is one path, not the only one
An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture used to mean an automatic reconstruction. The Swedish KANON trial (BMJ, 2013) followed 121 young active adults randomised to early reconstruction plus rehab, or rehab with the option of surgery later. At five years there was no difference in knee function, activity level or early osteoarthritis between the groups — and about half of the ‘rehab first’ group never had the operation. Whether to reconstruct is now a shared decision that depends on your sport, your knee’s stability and your goals; we work alongside Logan and Brisbane orthopaedic surgeons either way.
When surgery does happen, the rehab decides the result. In the Delaware–Oslo cohort (BJSM, 2016), every month that return to sport was delayed up to nine months after reconstruction cut the re-injury rate by 51%, and athletes who passed a battery of strength and hop tests before returning re-injured at 5.6% versus 38.2% for those who did not. That is why we test rather than guess before clearing a knee: quadriceps strength symmetry and hop performance are measured, and VALD force plates are used where the numbers will change the decision.
The same staged approach applies to MCL and meniscal injuries, patellar dislocations and the runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain) that shows up every parkrun season — build capacity, manage load, avoid the spikes described in our sports injury guide.
Before and after a knee replacement
A total knee replacement is a good operation for end-stage OA — the AIHW describes joint replacement as cost-effective and clinically effective for severe disease, and guidelines recommend it once conservative options have been exhausted. Two things make the outcome better: arriving at surgery as strong as possible, and getting the knee moving early and often afterwards.
Before surgery we build leg strength and walking tolerance so you have a head start. Afterwards, the first weeks are about swelling control, regaining knee bend and straightening, and walking well; from there the work shifts to strength, stairs, balance and confidence. Our gym-based rehab space is where most of the later stages happen. Knee arthrosis is the single most common reason for rehabilitation admissions in Australian hospitals (22% of all rehab episodes) — most people, though, do very well with outpatient physiotherapy close to home.
Knee pain at a glance
Exercise and education are first-line for knee osteoarthritis, with an average pain reduction of about a third in Australian program data · Arthroscopic clean-outs are not recommended for OA unless the knee truly locks · Roughly half of young adults with an ACL rupture in the KANON trial did well without reconstruction · After ACL surgery, waiting until at least nine months and passing objective strength tests before returning to sport dramatically lowers re-injury · Same-week medical review if the knee is hot, red and swollen with fever, locked and cannot straighten, or if you cannot take weight after an injury.
Paying for knee physio in Logan
Knee osteoarthritis is a classic chronic condition for a GP management plan: Medicare rebates item 10960 ($63.40 per visit from 1 July 2026, up to five allied health visits a calendar year pooled across professions) — see Medicare physiotherapy. Private patients claim through HICAPS on the day (our fees). DVA Gold and White Card holders pay nothing for accepted conditions, NDIS participants can use plan funding, and knee injuries from a road accident sit under Queensland CTP. Older adults worried about falls after a knee injury or replacement can read our falls prevention guide.
Book a knee assessment in Daisy Hill
Daisy Hill Physio is at Unit 4, 11–13 Allamanda Drive, Daisy Hill QLD 4127 — Logan City, Queensland, Australia (not Logan, Utah) — and treats knees from Springwood, Shailer Park, Slacks Creek, Underwood, Rochedale South, Cornubia and Loganholme. Book online or call 07 3209 2000. Teya Williams, whose work centres on osteoarthritis, joint care and strength for older adults, reviews our knee OA programs; our sports physiotherapists handle ACL and return-to-sport rehab. Meet the whole team on our team page.
Reviewed by Teya Williams, Physiotherapist, Daisy Hill Physio. Content current at 9 September 2026. This page is general information, not a diagnosis — see a physiotherapist or GP for advice about your own situation.
Sources: AIHW. Chronic musculoskeletal conditions: Osteoarthritis (web report, updated 2024) · RACGP. Guideline for the management of knee and hip osteoarthritis, 2nd edn, 2018 · GLA:D Australia program outcomes (gladaustralia.com.au) · Frobell RB et al. Treatment for acute anterior cruciate ligament tear: five year outcome of randomised trial. BMJ 2013;346:f232 · Grindem H et al. Simple decision rules can reduce reinjury risk by 84% after ACL reconstruction. Br J Sports Med 2016;50:804–808. Accessed 9 September 2026.
