Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPhty)
Masters in Sports Physiotherapy (MPhtySports)
Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Physiotherapy (PhD)
Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists (FACP)
Clinician, Researcher & Educator
Hip Pain Help’s mission is to provide the best outcomes for those around the world suffering from hip and pelvic pain, by connecting them with high-quality information and Hip Pain Professionals who practice person-centred, evidence-informed care.
Hip Pain Help is a hub that connects individuals with high-quality information and a growing multi-disciplinary community of health professionals with a special interest in the management of hip, pelvic and groin pain (Hip Pain Professionals). This is our mission.
The site is run by Australian physiotherapist and hip expert, Dr Alison Grimaldi, who has involvement in cutting-edge research and over 30 years of clinical experience.
The initial impetus for this site was the regular requests Alison received from people all around the world, asking for help and direction with their hip or pelvic pain.There was a realisation that despite the increase in research and technology, there are still many people who struggle to access reliable information and high-quality care. This appears to be due to the large array of misinformation flooding the internet and a lack of awareness of the general public regarding where to access a trusted health professional who is university qualified and has a special interest and expertise in management of hip and pelvic pain.
The all-too-familiar story was one of misdiagnosis and mismanagement, leading to unnecessary years of suffering, financial burden, emotional distress and substantial impact on general health and quality of life.
The central focus for Hip Pain Help emerged to address a global need for easing physical and emotional suffering and improving outcomes for those with hip and pelvic pain. To further this aim, we have been focused on developing a multi-disciplinary community of health professionals to provide high-quality, person-centred, evidence-informed care in as many locations as possible around the world. We refer to these professionals throughout the site as ‘Hip Pain Professionals’.
As a community, we believe that everyone seeking healthcare assistance deserves a person-centred approach. A person should not be seen as a medical condition but treated with dignity and respect and involved in all decisions regarding their care.
This care should be individualised and co-ordinated with all those involved in that care, which may include other health professionals and also home-carers and family members. Hip Pain Professionals are also passionate about keeping up-to-date with the latest research evidence and combining that with years of clinical experience to provide evidence-informed care.
In addition to these key values, management of hip and pelvic pain provided by these Hip Pain Professionals revolves around four key practical pillars – a skilled assessment, individualised advice and education, quality treatment methods and if required, appropriate referral to other health professionals. This aims to ensure that every person receives the best care from the professional/s best able to provide that care, as quickly as possible.
Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPhty)
Masters in Sports Physiotherapy (MPhtySports)
Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Physiotherapy (PhD)
Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists (FACP)
Clinician, Researcher & Educator
Dr. Alison Grimaldi is a world leading expert in the management of hip pain conditions and tendinopathy. She has over 30 years of clinical experience as a physiotherapist, and has led her own clinic as practice principal for almost 20 years.
Alison has completed a 4 year Bachelor degree in Physiotherapy, a clinical Masters in Sports Physiotherapy and then a research doctorate which aimed to improve our understanding of hip pain and muscle function. Her PhD studies also involved research collaboration with the European Space Agency, investigating the effect of 'unloading' (bedrest) on the hip muscles.
Alison continues to be passionate about extending our understanding of why we develop problems around the hip and pelvis, and what we can do to most effectively prevent and manage these problems. She has continued involvement in hip researcher over the last 20 years, including a role as a key investigator for the large multicentre LEAP randomised clinical trial for treatment of gluteal tendinopathy conducted through the University of Queensland and University of Melbourne in Australia. Alison also continues to be involved in a number of ongoing collaborative international research studies. Due to her valuable voluntary contributions to research, Alison was awarded the title Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and a Fellowship within the Australian College of Physiotherapists.
Alison and her colleagues published the findings of their high-quality randomised clinical trial on management of gluteal tendinopathy in the highly respected British Medical Journal. This was the culmination of 7 years of work, which also generated many other key papers on this condition. She has also authored or co-authored over 20 other peer-reviewed papers, contributed to 3 leading physiotherapy and sports medicine text books and been interviewed for many popular podcasts by PhysioEdge (itunes) and the British Journal of Sports Medicine (SoundCloud). In 2018, Alison was awarded the prize for the British Journal of Sports Medicine’s most popular podcast.
Although this biography reads more like that of an academic, Alison is in fact, uniquely, primarily a clinician who continues to contribute heavily to research and education. She has been working in clinical practice as a physiotherapist for over 30 years, developing over those years a particular interest and expertise in the management of hip, groin and lumbo-pelvic pain.
Alison also has a strong interest in biomechanics and muscle function and has pioneered the use of Real Time Ultrasound technology for the assessment and training of muscle function around the hip and pelvis. Alison and her husband, Nunzio established PhysioTec, their own private practice in 2005. Since this time, they have built a team of highly skilled physiotherapists, passionate about pushing the barriers of evidence-informed care.
It is one of Alison’s core beliefs that research should be relevant to clinical practice and should assist the patients we treat every day. Health professionals in the community should have access to this valuable information, allowing them to transfer knowledge into clinical practice as quickly as possible. To this end, Alison continues to publish, present and provide practical workshops for other health professionals.
Teaching is a passion for Alison. She has been a visiting educator and examiner on the Physiotherapy Masters programs at the University of Queensland since 1999 and has presented over 100 clinical courses across Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, France, Italy, the United States of America, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. Alison has presented over 50 keynote, invited and podium lectures at scientific conferences around the world, in the fields of Physiotherapy, Manual Therapy, Musculoskeletal Medicine, Rheumatology and Orthopaedics. To provide learning opportunities for those who are unable to attend Alison’s live lectures or practical seminars, she has developed an online learning portal at www.dralisongrimaldi.com.
Through hippainhelp.com, Alison enjoys providing high quality information to people with pain, and connecting the health professionals she has taught and learnt from, with individuals in the community who need their care.
