Meet Our Team
Meet our highly skilled and dedicated team, committed to providing quality personalised care for all of your musculoskeletal needs.
Anita Dikkenberg
Physiotherapist
Anita is the practice owner. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 1993 and has worked in private practice since. She has a Master of Sports Physiotherapy degree.
Her approach is a little more holistic than regular physio’s with a particular interest in pelvis and ribcage alignment via muscle energy techniques. Her philosophy is to find the cause of dysfunction rather than simply treating the symptoms and she encourages this with all her staff.
Practices Anita has owned include ;
NARRE WARREN PHYSIOTHERAPY AND SPORTS INJURY CLINIC 1998-2006
CAMBERWELL PHYSIOTHERAPY 2006-2013
ALIGNED THERAPIES 2013-current
Aligned Therapies' philosophy is that different therapists work together with the common goal to achieve relief and eliminate dysfunction in our patients.
Outside of Physiotherapy, Anita is a keen equestrian and competes mainly in dressage. She and her husband Robert have two children, Jasmine and James.
Grace Corcoran
Physiotherapist
Grace began working with Anita in 2012 at Camberwell Physiotherapy. Her experience working with both Camberwell Physiotherapy and Aligned Therapies inspired her to pursue physiotherapy as a career.
Grace has completed her Bachelor of Applied Science, Master of Physiotherapy Practice and is passionate about a holistic and client-centred approach to treatment. She has a special interest in sporting injuries and rehabilitation using both manual therapy and exercises.
She is a clinical Pilates instructor as well as a GLA:D certified practitioner. Grace believes in continual learning and likes to keep up with the latest treatment techniques and research articles to increase her knowledge and skill. In 2020 she developed a unique exercise rehabilitation program that we call A.C.E. (Alignment, Control, Exercise). This program will enable you to achieve your rehabilitation goals quickly…and it’s FUN too!
In her spare time, Grace enjoys stand-up paddle boarding, dabbling in various art projects and catching up with friends over a good glass of wine.
Ilianna Hizhnikov
Osteopath
Ilianna’s interest in wanting to help injured people began at an early age following a back injury sustained from the sport of Gymnastics.
Ilianna started working at Camberwell Physiotherapy in 2008 with Anita Dikkenberg following her completion of a Diploma of Remedial Therapy. Through her work at Camberwell Physiotherapy (later renamed Aligned Therapies) Ilianna’s interest in Osteopathy developed. In 2017 Ilianna graduated from RMIT with a Bachelor of Health Science / Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in Osteopathy. With exposure to a wide variety of sports growing up and through her studies, Ilianna has an extensive knowledge of the human body’s biomechanics and how to maximise its potential.
Ilianna has a keen interest in dealing with posture-related injuries such as headaches and shoulders; as well as pelvic alignment and girdle pain, acute and chronic pain management, biomechanics of rib related pain/injury, sporting injuries and rehabilitation.
In her spare time Ilianna enjoys travelling, meeting new people and considers herself an amateur wine expert.
Alyce Smith
Osteopath
Alyce graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Health Science and Bachelor of Applied Science (Osteopathy). She has additional training in dry needling and cupping. Alyce’s motivation to become an osteopath was driven by her own personal experiences following sporting injuries, which lead to her keen interest in health and the human body.
Alyce enjoys treating and connecting with patients of all ages and walks of life, with various aches and injuries. Although she has a keen interest in treating acute and chronic back pain, neck pain and sporting injuries.
Alyce has a holistic approach to treatment and takes into account each of her patients’ lifestyle, occupation, and goals (no matter how big or small) to form her patients’ treatment and management plan. Throughout a treatment Alyce will educate her patients to understand what the root cause of their pain is, whilst providing support in order to enhance her patient’s health and wellbeing.
Outside of helping her patients Alyce enjoys living an active lifestyle, whether it be going for runs, going to the gym, or spending quality time with her friends and family.
Anne Ricker
Practice Manager
Anne joined the Aligned Therapies team as a receptionist in 2011. She loves getting to know all the regular faces in the clinic and currently works Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Outside of work, Anne enjoys spending time with friends and travelling with her family – husband Matt and children, Phoebe and William. She also loves reading by the fire and walking on the Surf Coast beaches with her dogs.
Luba
Hizhnikov
Receptionist
Luba started working at Aligned Therapies in the early months of 2013 and has enjoyed watching the friendly faces that come through the front door and the positive change our therapists provide patients. Currently, Luba works Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Luba has a passion for travel, good wine and food, she is a great source of information for many holiday destinations.