Diagnosed hip / knee OA
Evidence-based first-line care, before medication or surgery is considered.
Service
GLA:D® Osteoarthritis Program in Toronto
An 8-week, evidence-based education and exercise program for hip and knee osteoarthritis. Developed in Denmark, delivered at Back In Balance through GLA:D® Canada.
Steps from College Station · 2 Carlton St., Suite 1306
What it is
Evidence-based osteoarthritis care — not just pain medication.
GLA:D® (Good Life with osteoArthritis: Denmark) is an 8-week education and exercise program for people with stiff and/or painful hips and knees, or with diagnosed hip or knee osteoarthritis. Developed in Denmark and rolled out internationally through GLA:D® Canada, it's the standard of conservative care for hip/knee OA.
The program has two components delivered together: structured education sessions about osteoarthritis and self-management, and supervised neuromuscular exercise sessions focused on movement control, strength, and applying both to real-world activity.
- 8 weeks · 2 education sessions + 12 supervised exercise sessions (typical)
- Group format — proven outcomes, lower per-session cost than 1:1 care
- X-ray is not required to participate — symptom-imaging alignment is only 30–40% in OA
Who it's for
If any of these sound like you, GLA:D® likely fits.
Chronic stiff / painful hips or knees
You don't need an OA diagnosis — symptoms that look like early OA are within scope.
Trying to delay or avoid surgery
Many GLA:D® participants reduce pain enough to defer or avoid joint replacement entirely.
What's covered in education
Two structured education sessions.
The education portion gives you a clear mental model of OA so the exercise component makes sense — and so you can advocate for yourself in the rest of the healthcare system.
- What osteoarthritis actually is — and what it isn't
- Risk factors, symptoms, and how OA progresses
- Treatment options across the spectrum (conservative → surgical)
- Self-management strategies that actually work
- Why exercise — counter-intuitively — reduces pain
- Strategies for coping with daily activity flares
Exercise component
Neuromuscular exercise — built for OA, not generic strength training.
The GLA:D® exercise program targets the specific deficits OA produces: poor movement control, loss of functional strength, and difficulty translating gym work into real-life activity. Sessions are progressive, supervised, and structured around the joint patterns most affected by your specific case.
Most participants attend twice a week for 6 weeks. The reported outcomes from the GLA:D® Canada registry are striking: less pain, reduced use of pain medication, fewer days on sick leave, and increased physical activity.
- Movement control retraining — re-learning the joint patterns OA disrupts
- Functional strength building targeted at hip/knee biomechanics
- Translation to daily activity — stairs, sit-to-stand, walking, lifting
8 weeks
Program length
2×/week
Exercise sessions
Group
Format
GLA:D®
Canada registry
Frequently asked questions
No referral is required, and no X-ray either. Symptoms and clinical assessment determine eligibility — imaging and OA pain align only ~30–40% of the time, so it's not necessary to qualify.
Book your first visit
Choose a time that works through Jane App or call the clinic directly.