Do you have a clear understanding of when, why and how to assess and address muscle dysfunction around the hip and pelvis, in order to optimise and expedite patient outcomes

Do you find yourself prescribing the same exercises for every hip & groin pain patient, regardless of their presentation?

Do your patients perform the same program for weeks or months without progressions or an understanding of what they are attempting to achieve and why?

Would you like to Fast Track your hip and groin Rehab?

Movement patterning and muscle function around the hip and pelvis are key considerations for any lumbopelvic or lower limb problem and may even impact on upper limb function.

Assessment and retraining in this region require a specific and targeted approach that should consider the multifaceted requirements for optimal function and the limitations of an individual’s musculoskeletal system.

With respect to current practices around muscle testing and exercise prescription, often strength is only consideration. While this is an important consideration, normal results on strength testing may be returned from a muscle synergy within which significant dysfunction exists. If weakness is not the primary deficit, generic strengthening may worsen rather than improve the situation by reinforcing poor recruitment strategies or imbalance in the contribution of muscles within a movement synergy e.g. TFL within the abductor synergy.

In exercise literature, often maximal EMG is the sole indicator used for exercise selection. EMG levels are not reflective of force generation and high levels of EMG may simply reflect active insufficiency where the muscle is not at an optimal range to generate force efficiently. This premise also assumes that maximal recruitment is optimal for muscle retraining and musculoskeletal health. While EMG levels above 40% of a maximal voluntary contraction are required for strength development, other factors should be considered.

Choosing an exercise with highest %MVC in a disadvantageous length-tension relationship, while encouraging poor recruitment patterning and efficiency with high load imposed on underlying joints or soft tissues, may not be in the best interests of achieving optimal or pain free function.

Online Learning Component (4-5 hours):

• Provide detailed information on muscle function and dysfunction for each group of synergists around the hip – hip flexors, abductors, extensors, external rotators, adductors
• Present this information in a clinical context to allow participants to understand potential clinical implications and applications
• Enhance clinical reasoning skills required for optimal assessment and development of therapeutic exercise for the hip & pelvis
• Challenge participants to re-examine their own clinical practice in the light of the presented evidence base
• Stimulate new thought & provide direction for those who may be interested in contributing to the research base that is shaping contemporary clinical practice in this field.

Practical Workshop (1 Day):

• Perform a multifaceted assessment of muscle function for each group of synergists around the hip – hip flexors, abductors, extensors, external rotators and adductors, using standardised, objective measures
• Determine the most appropriate exercise approach to target specific impairments in:
  • Muscle size & strength
  • Muscle endurance – global or regional
  • Kinematic patterns
  • Muscle recruitment patterns
  • Power, rate of force development, plyometric ability, agility
  • Progress an exercise program in an appropriate & timely manner, using key markers for exercise effect & tolerance.

Tutor:

Dr Alison Grimaldi PhD, MPhty(Sports), BPhty

Alison completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland in 1990, a Masters of Sports Physiotherapy in 1997, and her Doctorate in Philosophy in the Field of Physiotherapy (PhD) in 2008. Her PhD studies were concerned with improving our understanding of hip muscle function and the relationship with hip joint pathology and weightbearing stimulus. These studies involved research collaboration with the European Space Agency.

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 is currently involved with research studies through the University of Queensland and University of Melbourne, co-supervises a number of PhD students, and has pioneered the use of Real Time Ultrasound technology for the assessment and retraining of muscle function around the hip & pelvis. Due to her voluntary contributions to research at the University of Queensland, Alison has been awarded the title Adjunct Research Fellow in the School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences.

It is one of Alison’s core beliefs that research should be relevant to clinical practice and helping the patients we treat every day, and that physiotherapists in the community should have access to this valuable information to allow them to transfer this knowledge into clinical practice as quickly as possible. To this end, Alison continues to publish, present and provide practical workshops for other health professionals. Alison has published a number of papers in scientific journals, has contributed detailed information freely accessible via podcasts by PhysioEdge (itunes) and the British Journal of Sports Medicine (SoundCloud), and has recently contributed to 3 leading physiotherapy and sports medicine text books.

Alison’s publications: Link to publications

Alison continues a clinical load, working with patients with complex hip and lumbopelvic conditions, and across a broad spectrum of sports, including elite level triathlon, running, dance, cricket, athletics & swimming. She also spends a considerable amount of time mentoring her excellent staff, ensuring they are up-to-date and able to provide a high level of clinical expertise for management of musculoskeletal problems.

Further information about Alison and her courses can be found at: dralisongrimaldi.com

Follow Alison on Twitter: @alisongrimaldi

The course venue

How to get there

By bus

The following services pass close to Murrayfield Stadium:

Lothian Buses: 1, 2, 22, 30 at Westfield Road, 3, 25, 33, 38 at Gorgie Road, 12, 26, 31 at Corstorphine Road

AIRLINK 100 at Corstorphine Road

First Bus: 21A, 22, 38, 38Aat Corstorphine Road

Scottish Citylink: 900at Corstorphine Road

By train

Waverley Station (Edinburgh): short bus, tram or taxi ride.

Haymarket Station: 20 minute walk and a short tram or taxi ride.

By tram

Edinburgh Trams runs a fast, frequent service to the entrance of BT Murrayfield Stadium from locations such as Edinburgh Airport, Ingliston Park & Ride, Edinburgh Gateway and Haymarket.

Tickets must be purchased prior to boarding trams using the ticket vending machines at trams stops or on the Transport for Edinburgh App.

Where is BT Murrayfield?

The stadium is a twenty-minute walk down "The Murrayfield Mile" from Haymarket Station (turn left at Roseburn).

Parking - Free parking available