Soheila Zhaeentan’s Swedish bestseller arrives in English

Swedish orthopaedic surgeon Dr Soheila Zhaeentan is bringing her best-selling patient guide Living Body Smart to English-language readers on Oct. 14, with an Australian release that draws on her year in Perth. The book aims to help people understand common joint and bone problems and know when pain is normal wear and when it needs medical care.

Why it matters: - Chronic musculoskeletal conditions affect an estimated 7.3 million Australians, or 29% of the population, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. - Those conditions account for $16.3 billion a year in health spending and close to a quarter of Australia’s non-fatal disease burden. - Living Body Smart is positioned as a patient guide for people who do not have enough time in a routine consultation to understand what is happening in a stiff hip, aching knee or clicking joint.

What happened: - Dr Soheila Zhaeentan, a Swedish orthopaedic surgeon, is publishing Living Body Smart in English through Aniara. - The Australian publication date is Oct. 14, 2026. - The book is the English edition of her Swedish bestseller Kroppssmart, first published in 2023. - The book will be available in print, e-book and audio formats. - Zhaeentan spent a year in Perth during a sports medicine fellowship, which informs the book’s Australian references.

The details: - Zhaeentan has 25 years of clinical experience across Sweden, Norway and Australia. - She holds a PhD in shoulder surgery from the Karolinska Institute. - The book opens with basic explanations of pain, osteoarthritis, and how muscles, tendons and bone density change with age. - It then moves joint by joint through the spine, shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee, ankle and foot. - The book includes guidance on self-examination and warning signs that should prompt a doctor visit. - The book also tells readers when an aching or creaking joint may not need medical attention. - Zhaeentan recalls examining the knee of an AFL player while in sports medicine in Perth. - She also recounts an Australian colleague’s answer to a patient asking how to stop knee osteoarthritis from worsening: “Stop having birthdays.” - Zhaeentan says the book is meant to help readers understand how their joints change with age and how to deal with those changes.

Between the lines: - The book is aimed at a common gap in care: patients often need clearer explanations about pain and joint wear than a short appointment allows. - The Australian setting gives the book local relevance, especially for active readers who surf, play footy or bushwalk. - Zhaeentan frames fear, not disease, as the main barrier to movement and recovery when joints start to hurt or click. - The book’s reception in Sweden suggests the English edition is entering the market with established credibility.

What’s next: - Aniara is offering interview opportunities and review copies ahead of the Australian release. - The English-language launch gives Zhaeentan’s patient education message a wider audience beyond Sweden. - Readers in Australia will be able to buy the book from Oct. 14, 2026.

The bottom line: - Living Body Smart turns an experienced surgeon’s clinical and Australian sports medicine background into a plain-language guide for people trying to understand joint pain before it turns into fear.