Joint Action

Do supplements really help with osteoarthritis, or are we wasting our money? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Associate Professor Joanna Harnett and Dr Jocelyn Bowden join Professor David Hunter to cut through the noise on complementary medicines, exploring what the evidence actually shows and how to make informed decisions about supplement use for osteoarthritis.

A/Prof Joanna Harnett is an Associate Professor of Complementary Medicines at the University of Sydney's School of Pharmacy. Her research focuses on the quality use of complementary medicines and clinical studies in gastrointestinal health and the microbiome, with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and more than $1.15 million in research funding. She is Chair of the Therapeutic Goods Administration's Advisory Committee on Complementary Medicines and a Board Member of the International Society for Complementary, Traditional and Integrative Medicine Research.

Dr Jocelyn Bowden is a Senior Research Fellow with the Osteoarthritis Clinical Research Group at the Kolling Institute, University of Sydney. Her research focuses on improving healthcare through evidence-based practice, including the role of complementary medicines in osteoarthritis care. She has secured over $6.5 million in research funding, published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, and co-leads the OARSI Joint Effort Initiative for the Implementation of Osteoarthritis Management Programs.

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• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials: https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast
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What does it really mean to live with hand osteoarthritis, and how do you stay active and engaged in life when your hands are constantly painful? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Giovanna Lever joins Professor David Hunter to share her personal journey living with hand osteoarthritis, diagnosed at 45 after years of struggling with pain, and what it has meant for her work, travel, and family life.

Giovanna Lever is the Founder and Managing Director of Sparrowly Group, a Sydney-based consultancy working in economic development, community development, workforce planning, and tourism strategy across Australia and the Asia-Pacific. She is an advocate for accessible and inclusive tourism and co-founder of AccessA, a platform focused on accessibility and inclusion for businesses and tourism operators. Diagnosed with arthritis in her hands in 2025, she continues to champion an active and healthy lifestyle despite a busy schedule involving work, travel, and family life.

Journal article

• Efficacy of a Combination of Conservative Therapies vs an Education Comparator on Clinical Outcomes in Thumb Base OsteoarthritisA Randomized Clinical Trial

Links

• COMBO study supplemental information
• Functional equipment
• Daily living aids
• Assistive devices for arthritis of the hands
• Assistive products

Related Episodes

• Hormones, menopause, and joint pain with Dr Ginni Mansberg
• Hand osteoarthritis with Margreet Kloppenburg

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials: https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

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Is platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) a game changer for osteoarthritis, or is the evidence still catching up with the hype? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Dr Hamish Osborne joins Professor David Hunter to cut through the noise on PRP exploring what the research currently shows, where the gaps in evidence lie, and how patients and clinicians can navigate the decision together.

Dr Hamish Osborne is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians. He works part time in private practice and part time as a senior lecturer at the University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand. His main role is teaching the Post Graduate Diploma in Sport and Exercise Medicine to general practitioners and physiotherapists. He has a varied interest in research and is completing his PhD in cardiac screening in New Zealand elite basketballers.

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials: https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do your knees crack, pop, or creak when you move? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Associate Professor Danilo De Oliveira Silva joins Professor David Hunter to explain what those sounds actually mean, whether they are something to worry about, and what the research tells us about the relationship between noisy knees and osteoarthritis.

A/Prof Danilo De Oliveira Silva is an Associate Professor and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow at La Trobe University, Melbourne. His research focuses on the biomechanics, psychological, and pain characteristics of people with musculoskeletal conditions across the lifespan, with more than 130 peer-reviewed publications to his name. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, Development Director of the TREK initiative, and co-creator of a digital hub with seven online toolkits to support health professionals and patients with chronic pain.

• Noisy knees - knee crepitus prevalence and association with structural pathology: a systematic review and meta-­ analysis
• Does it sound like a problem? Knee crepitus prevalence and self-reported frequency in runners with and without knee surgery and its association with knee osteoarthritis beliefs

• TREK Education - Noisy knees (crepitus)

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials: https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

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Should you lose weight or have your knee replaced? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Professor Marius Henriksen joins Professor David Hunter to discuss the INKA randomised controlled trial, which set out to test whether an intensive dietary weight loss program could deliver results comparable to knee arthroplasty for people with knee osteoarthritis who are eligible for surgery.

Professor Marius Henriksen is a clinical professor of physiotherapy at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen University, and head of musculoskeletal research at the Parker Institute at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. His primary research focus is clinical research in osteoarthritis, with an emphasis on non-pharmacological management including exercise and weight loss.

RESOURCES

• Journal Article: Intensive diet or knee arthroplasty for severe knee osteoarthritis: The inka randomised trial

CONNECT WITH US

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials: https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered whether your painful, stiff joints are just something you have to put up with, or whether there is actually something that can be done? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Vicky puts your listener questions to Professor David Hunter, covering hand osteoarthritis and what treatments are available, common concerns people have when living with osteoarthritis day to day, and how to know when the time is right to consider joint replacement surgery.

Dr Vicky Duong is a physiotherapist and research fellow at the Kolling Institute, University of Sydney, where her research focuses on osteoarthritis, digital health, and self-management interventions. She is co-host and producer of the Joint Action podcast, and is dedicated to sharing evidence-based knowledge with consumers to empower them to take control of their health.

Professor David Hunter is a rheumatologist and the world's leading researcher in osteoarthritis, based at the Kolling Institute, University of Sydney. He is the host of the Joint Action podcast and has dedicated his career to improving the lives of people living with osteoarthritis through research, education, and advocacy.

CONNECT WITH US

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials: https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast
• 
  

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the shoes you wear every day be making your knee osteoarthritis better or worse? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Kade Paterson joins Professor David Hunter to explain why footwear matters for knee osteoarthritis and how to choose the best shoe for your joints.

Associate Professor Kade Paterson is a Principal Research Fellow in the Centre for Health Exercise and Sports Medicine in the Department of Physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne and a leader in the field of walking and running biomechanics. His research focuses on lower limb biomechanics and injury, with expertise in how foot-based interventions and footwear influence musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis. Kade is also a certified sports podiatrist and has published extensively, contributing to over 90 peer‑reviewed papers and presenting internationally. He is an editorial board member for two international journals, is Co-Chair and inaugural steering committee member for the International Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis Consortium, and President of Sports and Exercise Podiatry Australia.

RESOURCES

Journal articles

• The Effect of Flat Flexible Versus Stable Supportive Shoes on Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms: A Randomized Trial
• Q&A: Choosing shoes for osteoarthritis pain

CONNECT WITH US

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials: https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast
• 
  

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens to global science when funding is cut, borders close, and collaboration is threatened? In this special episode of Joint Action, Professor David Hunter reflects on the proposed changes to research funding and collaboration threaten global science and why speaking up, supporting one another, and protecting open, rigorous research matters now more than ever.

PROVIDE FEEDBACK

• Office of Management and Budget (Open until July 13th, 2026) - Federal Register :: Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance

CONNECT WITH US

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we say a treatment works for knee osteoarthritis, it is worth asking: works for whom? On this week's episode of Joint Action, Professor Christian Barton unpacks the blind spots in osteoarthritis research, exploring who has and hasn't been included in the evidence base for first-line care, and what that means for the patients we treat every day.

Prof Christian Barton is a physiotherapist and implementation scientist at La Trobe University, where he leads key projects including GLA:D Australia and TREK. With additional training in communications and implementation science, his research focuses on bridging the gap between evidence and practice in osteoarthritis, knee, and running injury care. He also consults privately at Complete Physio Richmond.

RESOURCES

Journal articles

• Blind spots in reporting and representation in knee osteoarthritis research: A systematic review of the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of 22,443 participants in randomised controlled trials of first-line care
• Who is waiting to see the surgeon? sociodemographic, clinical characteristics and previous osteoarthritis care of people with knee osteoarthritis referred to public hospitals in Victoria, Australia
• Barriers and Facilitators for the Implementation of an Osteoarthritis Management Programs in a Low-Income Setting: An Exploratory Study of Malawian Physical Therapists

CONNECT WITH US

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Joint Action, Vicky turns the tables and puts the questions to Professor David Hunter. Three listeners submitted questions spanning gut health, total knee replacement, and the frustrating gap between what the research says and what patients are actually being told in clinic.

It's a wide-ranging, honest conversation that's relevant whether you're living with osteoarthritis, working in healthcare, or simply want to understand the science better.

RELATED EPISODES

• Season 6, Episode 26: Episode Your osteoarthritis questions answered by David (Part 2)
• Season 6, Episode 25: Episode Your osteoarthritis questions answered by David (Part 1)
• Season 5, Episode 26: Your osteoarthritis questions answered by David
• Season 2, Episode 8: A chat to David and listener questions

CONNECT WITH US

• Naia Health: https://www.naiahealth.com.au/st-leonards-hub
• Join one of our trials https://www.osteoarthritisresearch.com.au/current-trials
• Instagram: @ProfDavidHunter
• Twitter: @ProfDavidHunter @jointactionorg
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jointaction.info/podcast

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to learn more about osteoarthritis from the world's leading experts! And please let us know what you thought by leaving us a review!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.