Taking Control of Your Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis

Explore joint disease with experts from the University of Melbourne

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, affects over 500 million people worldwide.

This four-week course will give you an introduction to living with osteoarthritis. Examining practical methods of pain management, you’ll gain a full overview of the recommended treatments available.

Develop your knowledge of osteoarthritis and pain management

Whilst pain is the osteoarthritis symptom that interferes with people’s lives the most, how pain is experienced differs for everyone.

On this course, you’ll examine the symptoms of osteoarthritis and the factors that affect how pain is felt.

Developing an understanding of individual experiences of osteoarthritis, you’ll be able to discuss and share useful strategies for symptom management.

Examine healthy living techniques using physical activity and weight management

Exercise and weight management can dramatically improve quality of life for people with osteoarthritis.

Using current research, you’ll learn how weight loss and activity can reduce pain and help avoid or delay joint surgery.

You’ll learn a range of healthy eating and safe exercise techniques, helping you adjust your daily routines and improve your symptoms.

Investigate additional pain management strategies including hip and knee surgery

People with osteoarthritis are often referred for surgery before low-risk lifestyle treatments are fully explored.

You’ll learn about treatments available to manage osteoarthritis symptoms. You’ll examine medications, joint injections, and arthroscopic or joint replacement surgery.

By the end of this course, you’ll have a thorough understanding of osteoarthritis, as well pain management strategies. You’ll be able to develop a personal plan to manage your pain and discuss appropriate treatment with health professionals.

This course is designed for people with persistent hip or knee joint pain or arthritis. It is also beneficial for family members of people with persistent joint pain who wish to provide more support.

Health professionals should refer to our Physiotherapy Exercise and Physical Activity for Knee Osteoarthritis (PEAK) course.

• Learning about osteoarthritis
• Welcome to the course
• Welcome to Week 1
• Understanding osteoarthritis
• Pain and osteoarthritis
• Overview of recommended treatments
• Finding out more
• Reflect and review
• Physical activity and exercise for osteoarthritis
• Welcome to Week 2
• Benefits and safety of exercise and physical activity
• What physical activity and exercise is suitable for people with osteoarthritis?
• How to become more active with osteoarthritis
• Finding out more
• Reflect and review
• Body weight and osteoarthritis
• Welcome to Week 3
• Body weight and osteoarthritis
• Understanding more about body weight and weight loss
• Helpful strategies for weight loss and weight maintenance
• Finding out more
• Reflect and review
• Additional management strategies and conclusion
• Welcome to Week 4
• Helpful pain management strategies
• Other treatments for osteoarthritis
• Finding out more
• Reflect and review
• Course conclusion and planning your next steps