Assess
Discuss the history, examine the joint and relevant strength, and check the movements that are limiting your day.
OSTEOARTHRITIS CARE · MELBOURNE’S INNER NORTH
Osteoarthritis pain?
Get a plan for walking, stairs and everyday life.
The first steps out of bed. Getting up from a chair. A walk that ends earlier than you wanted.
Premier connects an assessment of your joint and movement with suitable hands-on care, a written exercise plan and reviews of your progress. Know what to work on and how to build from where you are.
Book an arthritis assessmentPhysiotherapy or Osteopathy · New Patient
Brunswick · Fitzroy North · Thornbury
40,000patients served
20 yearsin the community
30 expertsacross Premier
One teambehind your care
WHEN ORDINARY MOVEMENT BECOMES A DECISION
“Should I keep moving, or am I making it worse?”
You have been told exercise matters. But when a walk or a new exercise leaves your joint aching, it is hard to know what to do next.
That uncertainty belongs in the assessment. We look at the joint, your strength and movement, what brings symptoms on and how you feel afterwards. Then we explain the starting approach and how to adapt activity.
MAKE THE GOAL SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO
Walk with friends. Take the stairs. Get out of the chair more easily.
Tell us where arthritis is getting in the way. How far can you walk? Which part of the stairs is hardest? What have you stopped doing?
Those answers shape the exercises and give us practical things to review. The aim is to make daily life more manageable and help you work towards the activities you miss.
MAKE SENSE OF THE DIAGNOSIS
Told it is “wear and tear” or “bone on bone”? Ask what you can work on.
Osteoarthritis affects the whole joint. A scan helps describe structural changes, but it does not tell the whole story of your pain, strength or day-to-day movement.
Exercise and education are core parts of osteoarthritis care. Your assessment helps identify what can be addressed through rehabilitation and when GP or specialist review belongs in the plan. We do not promise to regrow cartilage or reverse arthritis.
THE PREMIER APPROACH
Assess the joint. Treat the symptoms. Build the movement back.
Your care connects what happens in the appointment with what you practise between visits.
Treat
Discuss hands-on care for comfort and movement when indicated, alongside practical advice about activity.
Build
Receive a written starting plan with exercises, a manageable dose and guidance on technique.
Review
Document your response, revisit meaningful activities and explain whether to progress, adapt or continue.
IF PREVIOUS EXERCISES HAVE NOT HELPED
“I tried the exercises. My joint just flared up.”
Bring the program and tell us what happened. Which exercise? How much? When did the symptoms increase, and how long did they last?
We review the exercise choice, starting load, technique and recovery with you. The next plan should give you clear guidance on what to practise and when to get advice about a change.
Your plan should answer:
- What do I do, and how much?
- How do I judge my response?
- What do I change during a flare?
- When do we review it?
USE THE SUPPORT THAT FITS YOUR GOALS
Hands-on care and exercise should work towards the same goal.
Your clinician explains how selected treatment supports the plan. Exercise builds the strength and movement capacity needed for the tasks you want to manage. Strength and conditioning or Clinical Pilates is included when clinically required.
If pain, swelling or function is worsening, the plan also needs a decision about medical review. Medicines, injections and surgery are discussed with your doctor or specialist.
WHEN SURGERY IS ON YOUR MIND
Thinking about a joint replacement? Get clear on your next step.
An assessment helps you understand the role of rehabilitation in your current situation. It can support non-surgical management or preparation for surgery, depending on your needs and medical advice.
We will explain what we can help with and when a GP or specialist opinion is needed. This page does not promise to prevent or delay a replacement.
YOUR FIRST APPOINTMENT
Leave with an explanation, a starting plan and a review point.
We discuss the painful joint, previous treatment, current exercise and the activities you want back. We examine relevant movement and strength, explain the findings and agree on the starting approach.
Suitable hands-on treatment can be discussed after assessment and with your consent. Bring existing scan reports and any previous exercise plan.
Your takeaways
- An explanation of what we found.
- A written plan with exercise guidance.
- Advice on managing activity and your response.
- A next step for reviewing progress.
PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP
Meet clinicians whose interests include arthritis rehabilitation.
Darren and Matt bring relevant arthritis and rehabilitation interests. Choose your preferred clinic or ask reception to match your joint problem, goals and appointment.
Darren Cheah
Physiotherapist · Fitzroy North
Clinical interests include hip and knee osteoarthritis, with experience in arthritis exercise programs and gym-based rehabilitation.
Meet Darren
Matt Taylor
Physiotherapist · Brunswick
Clinical interests include osteoarthritis and chronic spinal pain, with hands-on care and exercise rehabilitation.
Meet MattIF YOUR MAIN PROBLEM IS IN YOUR BACK
Spinal arthritis needs a back-specific assessment.
Scan terms such as arthritis, lumbar spondylosis and disc degeneration can overlap. Back pain or symptoms travelling into a leg need assessment alongside the report.
Explore the Premier Back Pain Reset Protocol, sciatica care and our guide to disc-related back pain.
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BOOK
Your questions about arthritis, exercise and treatment.
Does “bone on bone” mean exercise cannot help?
No. A scan description alone does not tell us how much your symptoms and function can change. An assessment helps identify a suitable starting point for exercise and whether medical or specialist input is needed.
What if exercises make my arthritis hurt more?
Tell us what you did, how much you did and how your symptoms changed afterwards. Your clinician can review the exercise, load and recovery. Do not force your way through a program that repeatedly leaves you worse; seek advice about adapting it.
Do I need an X-ray before booking?
You do not need to arrange a scan yourself before asking what to book. Bring any reports you already have. Your clinician will explain whether medical assessment or further investigation is needed.
Can physiotherapy or osteopathy cure osteoarthritis?
There is no promise of a cure or cartilage regrowth. Care focuses on pain, movement, strength and the activities that matter to you. Exercise and education are central; selected hands-on treatment supports the wider plan.
Do you offer GLA:D?
Ask reception about current GLA:D program availability and practitioner suitability. An individual arthritis assessment is a starting point for discussing the exercise support that fits your needs.
Which appointment do I book and what does it cost?
Choose Physiotherapy or Osteopathy, then New Patient if you are new to Premier. Mention the painful joint and your arthritis diagnosis in the booking notes. Reception can confirm the practitioner, current fee and appointment type. Check private health cover with your insurer.
BOOK THE ASSESSMENT
Make the next step about the movement you want back.
Book Physiotherapy or Osteopathy and select New Patient if you are new to Premier. Tell us which joint hurts and what you want to get back to doing.
Call 03 9481 7794 for practitioner matching, fees or appointment guidance. Ask your insurer about cover for the chosen practitioner and service.
Book an arthritis assessmentBrunswick · Fitzroy North · Thornbury
RELATED CARE AND PATIENT INFORMATION
Explore care for the joint that is troubling you.
Knee pain and rehabilitation · Hip and groin assessment · Osteoporosis and osteopenia · Physiotherapy · Clinical Pilates
When medical care comes first: Seek prompt medical care for a suddenly hot, swollen joint, fever, a major injury or inability to bear weight. Tell your doctor about unexplained or persistent symptoms. For back symptoms, new bladder or bowel changes, groin numbness or worsening leg weakness need urgent medical assessment.
Clinical information sources
Healthdirect: osteoarthritis · The Arthritis Movement: osteoarthritis · The Arthritis Movement: arthritis of the spine
General information supports individual assessment. Prepared 17 October 2026.