GLA® Hip & Knee Osteoarthritis Program Pakenham

If hip or knee pain is making walking, stairs, exercise, or everyday activities increasingly difficult, remaining active can sometimes feel challenging.

At Racecourse Road Family Health – Pakenham, the GLA® Hip & Knee Osteoarthritis Program provides a structured physiotherapy-led approach to managing osteoarthritis through education and exercise.

GLA® Program in Pakenham

GLA® stands for Good Life with osteoArthritis: Denmark.

It is an education and exercise program developed specifically for people experiencing hip and knee osteoarthritis symptoms.

Rather than relying only on passive treatment, the program helps participants build the knowledge and physical capacity required to manage their condition more actively.

Who may benefit from the GLA® program?

The program may be appropriate for people experiencing hip or knee osteoarthritis symptoms such as:

• Pain during walking
• Difficulty using stairs
• Joint stiffness
• Reduced confidence with exercise
• Difficulty completing everyday activities
• Reduced lower limb strength
• Limitations caused by hip or knee symptoms

Your physiotherapist can assess whether the program is appropriate for your individual circumstances.

Exercise for hip and knee osteoarthritis

When a joint is painful, avoiding movement can feel like the safest option.

However, appropriately prescribed exercise can play an important role in managing osteoarthritis.

Exercise rehabilitation may focus on:

• Lower limb strength
• Functional movement
• Balance and control
• Confidence using the affected joint
• Gradually increasing activity
• Improving capacity for everyday tasks

Exercises are adapted according to your ability and progressed as appropriate.

Understanding osteoarthritis

An important component of osteoarthritis management is understanding what the condition means and how different factors can influence symptoms.

Education can help you better understand:

• Why symptoms may fluctuate
• The role of exercise
• How activity can be modified
• Why strength matters
• How to gradually increase physical activity
• Strategies for longer-term self-management

Having a clearer understanding of your condition can make movement feel less uncertain.

Physiotherapy for hip and knee osteoarthritis

Not everyone with hip or knee osteoarthritis requires the same approach.

Your physiotherapist can assess your movement, strength, symptoms, functional limitations, and goals before recommending an appropriate treatment pathway.

Depending on your needs, physiotherapy may involve GLA®, individual exercise rehabilitation, hands-on treatment where appropriate, and strategies for managing everyday activities.

Why complete GLA® at Racecourse Road Family Health?

Our Pakenham physiotherapy team focuses on helping you remain active and confident despite osteoarthritis symptoms.

Care includes:

• Individual physiotherapy assessment
• Structured osteoarthritis education
• Supervised exercise
• Progressive strengthening
• Functional movement training
• Ongoing assessment
• Individualised advice
• Access to broader healthcare services when required

Eligible patients may also have access to bulk billed physiotherapy through appropriate referral pathways.