About the course

Hip and groin pain present diagnostic challenges that demand sharp clinical reasoning. This course is designed to help clinicians confidently assess, differentiate, and manage common hip pathologies, without relying on imaging alone or falling into pattern-recognition traps. You'll learn how to perform comprehensive clinical examinations, identify when conservative care is appropriate versus when surgical referral is indicated, and design rehabilitation programs that address the underlying pathomechanics. The focus is on clinical decision-making, load management principles, and patient communication rather than cookbook protocols. The course combines podcast episodes, peer-reviewed literature, and study questions to build your clinical reasoning across the full spectrum of hip conditions. You'll begin with a pre-course assessment to identify your starting point, then progress through content covering differential diagnosis, red flag screening, tendinopathy management, bone stress injuries, and post-surgical rehabilitation. Everything is designed to be practical, adaptable, and immediately applicable across diverse patient populations.

Meet Your Instructor: Dr. Nick Rainey

I'm a physical therapist, clinic owner, and educator who regularly works with complex hip and groin cases in real clinical practice. Hip and groin pain can feel diagnostically challenging for clinicians and overwhelming for patients. Early in my career, the challenge wasn't a lack of treatment techniques, but knowing how to differentiate between similar presentations, when to refer versus manage conservatively, and how to progress rehabilitation with confidence across diverse pathologies. Through years of clinical experience, mentoring clinicians, and teaching residents, I've learned that clear clinical reasoning and adaptable frameworks matter far more than rigid protocols or pattern recognition. My goal with this course is to help you feel confident assessing hip pathology, communicating evidence-based treatment plans, and guiding patients safely and effectively toward their functional goals.