The Rehabilitation Medicine Group

Don’t let age, illness, disease or injury stop you leading a life worth living

With knowledge, motivation, exercise and strategies

You can reduce pain, improve fitness, improve functional ability and improve your enjoyment of life

COMMON REHABILITATION CONDITIONS

Complex chronic (persistent) pain

Any pain condition can become more complex and complicated by a cascade of events including mood disorders, fatigue, sleep dysfunction and additional medical conditions. Conditions such as fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS), neuropathic pain including radiculopathy and nerve palsy, chronic fatigue syndrome and central sensitization syndromes tend to always involve complexity.

Post-surgical pain 

It is normal to have some pain immediately after surgery, but for most people, this resolves over 3 – 6 weeks. Pain persisting after 12 weeks requires a different approach to treatment and rehabilitation to improve outcomes. Persistent post-surgical Pain is common after spinal surgery, orthopedic surgery (knee and hip replacements) and thoracic surgery.

Spinal pain

Back and neck pain are two of the leading causes of worldwide disability. We treat people with acute and chronic spinal pain, following spinal surgery or with traumaticor osteoporotic vertebral fractures.We treat people with mild pain to those with severe pain and with other complex health issues.This includes any pain thought due to canal stenosis, foraminal stenosis, discs, facet joints or fractures.

Musculoskeletal pain

We regularly treat people with unresolved pain following fracture and those with adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), osteoarthritis involving the shoulder, knee and hip, inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, tendinopathies and muscle pain. Many musculoskeletal pains arise from sports injuries and our Specialist in Sports and Exercise Medicine Dr Kal Fried has extensive experience in management of these. We don’t just manage joints or tendons, but the whole person to get the results you need.

Pain and function in older adults

Chronic pain rates in the community increase as we age due to changes in our musculoskeletal and nervous systems with arthritis and injury. Pain can lead to a reduced ability to exercise resulting in reduced fitness, strength and balance. This can result in a reduced ability to perform activities and risks further falls, injury and loss of independence.

Neurological disease

We manage the physical, psychological and activity limiting aspects of Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, radiculopathy and acquired brain injury. This includes the management of pain, spasticity, hand and upper limb impairments, walking and balance problems.

Cancer

We treat people to minimize the effects from cancer or its treatment (such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy).This includes pain management, fatigue, deconditioning (including muscle weakness, loss of balance, reduced fitness), loss of confidence and changes to mood.

About the Group

 The Rehabilitation Medicine Group was founded in 2013 by Dr Nathan Johns to provide a new private and personalised approach to the rehabilitation of pain and disability resulting from disease, injury or illness. The 3 blue rings of our insignia represent education, exercise and strategies – the core of rehabilitation medicine.

In April 2023, Dr Nathan Johns, Dr Kal Fried, Dr Leah Levy and  Mr Darren Lau joined Brighton Sports and Spinal Clinic and continue to consult and provide specialist pain and rehabilitation treatment there.

Dr Nathan Johns remains the medical director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Group and is completing his PhD entitled Redesigning rehabilitation to treat persistent post-surgical pain. It is due for completion in May 2025.

To make an appointment to see Dr Nathan Johns

T: (03) 9596 7211
F: (03) 9596 7871
E: reception@brightonspinal.com.au

The Rehabilitation Medicine Group
441 Bay Street Brighton, Victoria, 3186

Original Dezign by Dezign Store, redesigned by Dr Nathan Johns

© The Rehabilitation Medicine Group 2013-2025