Over his 150 games as a senior footballer, including a stint as club vice-captain, he saw first hand the impact the injuries could have on the lives of young people.

From watching his teammates go down with twisted, strained and torn knee ligaments, Adam would one day play a vital role in research helping young athletes recover from these injuries.

Over the coming 10 years, his research would take him a long way from his upbringing on a sheep farm in Newstead.

After graduating from Castlemaine Secondary College, Adam completed his physiotherapy studies in Melbourne, practicing for two years.

He then started his PhD in Queensland, where he investigated the damage caused to knees in young athletes after surgery.

Adam explained the theory behind his research in a three-minute thesis competition, winning a national award.

During the presentation, he spoke about how knee injuries at an early age can have a lasting impact on people’s lives.

“What if your joints, your knees for example, decide to retire much earlier – say 40 years earlier – and become old before their time,” he said.

“Unfortunately, this is not a ‘what if’ scenario.

“All too often, kids and young adults who suffer a knee injury – more specifically an ACL injury – are likely to have the painful, worn out knee of a 70-year-old by the time they reach just 30.”

More than 10,000 young Australians injure their ACLs every year, each with a high likelihood of developing osteoarthritis before they reach old age.

Click here to listen to Adam Culvenor’s three minute thesis

Among a number of discoveries, Adam’s research found osteoarthritis could occur sooner than first thought.

“My research revealed that this osteoarthritis can occur as early as the first year after injury,” he said.

“I also found that the joint behind the kneecap was more affected than previously recognised, and was the source of considerable pain and symptoms.”

Using a gait laboratory to investigate knee biomechanics, Adam found altered movement patterns in the knee could be the source of osteoarthritis.

The changed movement was a result of the initial injury and repair.

The shin bone rotates outwards, altering the position of the kneecap. This meant the kneecap would no longer slide smoothly, instead grinding and grating.

Adam said his research could benefit young people recovering from knee injuries.

“Overall, I am trying to find out factors that contribute to this increased rate of osteoarthritis at a young age after knee injury, so that we can develop treatment strategies to stop it from happening,” he said.

“We can now target our rehab to restore optimal movement of the kneecap.

“Orthopaedic surgeons must now consider techniques that correct the position of the knee during ACL surgery.”

Those with an injury to the meniscus were also found to be much more likely to develop osteoarthritis.

As part of the PhD, Adam was awarded a federal government research scholarship to study in Oslo, Norway.

He joined researchers who had followed 250 people for 20 years, who had each underwent knee reconstructions – one of the largest studies of its type in the world.

The study monitored how osteoarthritis developed in their knees, and the trajectory of pain and function.

His research was expanded last year, when Adam was offered a role in a European Union-funded research project, based out of the Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria.

He became one of four post-doctoral research fellows in the program, with 11 other PhD students from all over the world.

Funded with two million euros, the group of researchers are investigating the correct treatment for osteoarthritis sufferers at the correct time.

Adam said learning more about the development of the condition could prevent further pain and eventual knee replacements.

“Currently, there is no cure for osteoarthritis, and many people with osteoarthritis eventually end up having a total knee replacement,” he said.

“So I am researching whether muscle weakness of the quadriceps and hamstrings has an influence on the development of knee osteoarthritis, or worsening to more severe osteoarthritis.

“If it is, then as physiotherapists, we can help to strengthen those muscles and maybe slow the disease development, and reduce pain and disability associated with it.”

Combining with eight European universities, their findings will be sent out to researchers, clinicians and other healthcare professionals.

The findings will also be presented to the public, as well as through professional conferences.

Adam’s work was a far cry from the humble beginnings offering advice to his injured Castlemaine football teammates, but in decades to come, his work could mean future players can make better recoveries to avoid the lingering pain of osteoarthritis.