Knee Arthritis Adelaide
Treatment for Knee Arthritis in Eastwood & North Adelaide
What is Knee Arthritis?
1 in 2 Australians experience knee pain as they get older. In most circumstances this is due to arthritis in the knee joint. Arthritis is where the rate of degeneration (breaking down) is greater than the rate of regeneration (repair). SA Running Injury Clinic can assist you in managing your knee arthritis.
- Do your knees ache when trying to stay fit (walking, squatting) or at work?
- Are they stiff when you get out of bed or a chair?
- Do they feel better with a little bit of movement?
- Does it swell, grate or even give way?
- Does the joint feel restricted and the knee look big and lumpy?
If any of this sounds familiar, you're in the right place.
You Don’t Necessarily Need to Stop Moving
Historically, some people with knee arthritis have been advised to significantly reduce physical activity or avoid running altogether. However, current evidence suggests that appropriately managed exercise and movement may continue to play an important role in supporting joint function, muscle strength, and activity participation for many individuals.
Modern evidence suggests that recreational running may not increase the risk of knee osteoarthritis for some people when activity levels, biomechanics, strength, and recovery are appropriately managed. Rather than avoiding movement entirely, management may focus on factors such as training load, movement patterns, strength, and joint support strategies.
Assessment and rehabilitation approaches may help identify contributing factors and guide appropriate activity modification based on your individual needs.
Who We Treat
We see active adults across every level of arthritis severity, including:
- Runners noticing morning stiffness, post-run aches, or pain settling into long runs
- Walkers and hikers finding they can't go as far as they used to
- Gym-goers and Pilates regulars struggling with squats, lunges, or step-ups
- Masters athletes dealing with cartilage changes from years of sport
- Active retirees who want to keep golfing, cycling, swimming, and travelling
- Post-injury patients with early osteoarthritis from old meniscus tears, ACL reconstructions, or fractures
What unites our patients isn't age or sport — it's a refusal to let arthritis be the thing that stops them
How We Assess Knee Arthritis
Our assessment goes deeper than a symptoms check. We look at the whole movement chain that drives load through the knee:
Computerised AI gait analysis captures exactly how your knee is loading with each step — alignment, joint angles, ground reaction force timing. For runners, we also use digital video gait analysis to identify what's happening at running speed, which is often very different from walking.
Movement assessment examines hip strength, ankle mobility, calf flexibility, and core control — all of which directly influence how much load lands on the arthritic compartment of the knee.
Training load review looks at your weekly volume, footwear, surfaces, and progression history. Most active-adult knee flares we see aren't caused by arthritis worsening — they're caused by load spikes the knee couldn't absorb.
Prior imaging review if you've had X-rays or MRIs. Imaging tells us what's there; clinical assessment tells us why it matters.
Our Treatment Approach
Our care combines evidence-based load management with advanced clinic-based therapies. Treatment is matched to your stage, your goals, and your activity level.
Gait retraining and cadence work
For runners, small changes in step rate, foot strike, and trunk position can dramatically reduce load through the patellofemoral or medial compartment of the knee. We use video analysis to identify high-yield changes and coach them progressively.
Focused shockwave therapy
Unlike the radial shockwave found in most clinics, focused (focal) shockwave penetrates deeper and targets specific knee structures more precisely. Emerging evidence supports its role in reducing pain, calming inflammation, and stimulating tissue repair in osteoarthritic knees.
Prolotherapy (dextrose) injections
A simple dextrose solution that stimulates the body's natural repair response in the supporting soft tissues around the knee. Drug-free, steroid-free, and well-tolerated — a useful option for active patients who want to avoid corticosteroid injections and their long-term cartilage concerns.
High-level cold laser (Class IV photobiomodulation)
Painless light-based therapy that may help reduce inflammatory load, improve local blood flow, and support tissue repair. Useful as a standalone treatment and as part of a combined program.
Orthotic therapy and footwear assessment
For many active adults, redistributing load away from the painful compartment is one of the highest-yield interventions available. We design 3D laser-scanned orthotics based on the AI gait data and review your running, walking, and cross-training footwear specifically.
Structured strength and rehabilitation programming
The single most evidence-supported intervention for knee osteoarthritis is loaded strength training. We use the AxIT muscle strength testing system to measure deficits objectively and build progressive programs that work alongside your training — not instead of it. Where appropriate, we incorporate the GLA:D program framework or refer to our partner physiotherapists and exercise physiologists.
Return-to-run and load management programming
For runners who've had to back off — or who want to push training without flaring symptoms — we build graded return-to-run and load progression plans based on your symptoms, training history, and goals.
Dry needling and manual therapy
For tight calves, quadriceps, IT bands, and restricted joint motion contributing to knee load
What Outcomes Are Realistic?
Most active patients we see can expect:
- Meaningful pain reduction within 6–12 weeks of starting a structured program
- Restoration of training volume — often beyond where they were before symptoms started
- Delay or avoidance of joint replacement surgery in many mild-to-moderate cases
- Better long-term knee health through stronger support musculature and improved mechanics
Severe, end-stage osteoarthritis is a different conversation, and in some cases surgery genuinely is the right answer. We'll tell you straight if that's where things sit — and refer to an orthopaedic surgeon if needed.
When To Book
You should consider an assessment if:
- Knee pain is changing how you run, walk, or train
- Stiffness or swelling is becoming routine after activity
- You've been told to "stop running" but don't want to
- You've had prior knee injuries and are noticing early arthritis symptoms
- You're a candidate for knee replacement but want to explore alternatives first
- You're on a surgical waitlist and need help managing the wait
Earlier intervention produces better outcomes. The knee adapts well to the right kind of loading — but only if it's the right kind.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most recreational runners, no. Current evidence suggests running does not accelerate knee osteoarthritis, and structured loading is protective for cartilage and supportive musculature. The question is rarely whether to run, but how to manage the load — and this is what our assessment focuses on.
Long-running studies have repeatedly shown that recreational runners have similar or lower rates of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis than non-runners. High-volume elite running carries some increased risk; recreational running does not. Mechanics, training load progression, and recovery matter far more than mileage alone.
Radial shockwave delivers energy in a broad, dispersed pattern at the skin surface and is used widely for soft tissue conditions. Focused (focal) shockwave delivers a deeper, more precisely targeted energy wave, which is better suited to joint structures like the knee. We offer both and select based on your presentation.
Prolotherapy works by stimulating tissue repair using a dextrose solution, rather than suppressing inflammation. Corticosteroid injections can provide useful short-term pain relief but have documented concerns with repeated use — including potential negative effects on cartilage. For active patients planning to keep training, prolotherapy has a more favourable long-term profile.
We combine podiatric biomechanical assessment, AI gait analysis, and clinic-based modalities (focused shockwave, cold laser, prolotherapy, orthotics) with structured rehabilitation programming. We work alongside physiotherapists and exercise physiologists where their input adds value, particularly for GLA:D-based programs.
Podiatry consultations are claimable under most private health funds with extras cover. We also offer a gap-free initial assessment for eligible patients with podiatry cover.
Book your knee arthritis assessment
Two clinics: North Adelaide (Melbourne Street) and Eastwood (Fullarton Road).
Same-day appointments often available.
Call North Adelaide: 08 8239 1022
Call Eastwood: 08 8357 0700