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The People Behind Your Performance
Meet the GymTherapy Team
Elite sport backgrounds. Evidence-based care. One shared goal — helping you move better, recover stronger, and perform at your best.
Stephen Valassakis
Founder & clinical director
With a background in elite professional sport, Stephen built GymTherapy to bridge the gap between high-performance athletic care and everyday health. His focus is on providing data-driven, performance-focused physiotherapy to every client — educating, improving function, and supporting each person in achieving their health and performance goals.
- Therapist as part of medical team at Burnley Football Club (English Premier League)
- Head Physiotherapist for the Australian Indigenous Roos and Koalas
- Head Physiotherapist/Physio for Tranmere Rovers Football Club & Salford City Football Club (English Football League)
- Consultant Physiotherapist at Oldham Athletic Football Club (National League)
- Private performance and medical consultancy to professional and semi-professional athletes
- Professional and semi-professional Rugby in the United Kingdom and Australia
- A variety of clinical private practice settings in the United Kingdom and Australia
- Consultancy roles for various sports teams and schools in performance and physiotherapy oversight
- Educational roles providing practical training for students and new graduates in sports rehabilitation, performance and therapy
- Sports injury rehabilitation (hamstring strains, muscle & tendon injuries)
- Health & performance data interpretation and contextualising results
- Complex hip and groin pain
- Orthopaedic rehabilitation — ACL reconstruction, tendon repairs, joint arthroscopy/debridement
- Running-related injuries (Runner’s knee, Achilles, gluteal tendinopathy)
- Injury prevention and mitigation through specialised sport programs
- Shoulder dislocation/subluxation rehabilitation for the overhead athlete
- Lower back pain — nerve and disc-related pathologies
Matthew Herron
Physiotherapist
Matthew is a UK-qualified physiotherapist with extensive experience in musculoskeletal and community-based care. Passionate about evidence-based, data-driven rehabilitation, he brings a strong professional rugby league background to his work supporting athletic performance and recovery at GymTherapy.
- Physiotherapist at St Helens Rugby League Football Club (English Super League)
- Extensive experience in private clinical practice along with hospital based physiotherapy
- Return-to-sport planning and functional strength rehabilitation
- Athlete testing and rehabilitation
- Sports and athletic injury rehabilitation
- Shoulder injuries (acute and overuse)
- Cricket & rugby specific injuries
- Gym-based overuse and repetitive strain injuries
- Performance optimisation and data-driven rehabilitation
James McMulkin
Physiotherapist
James brings focused experience in musculoskeletal, orthopaedic and sports physiotherapy. Working with both active individuals and athletes, his goal is comprehensive care that goes beyond addressing the presenting issue — building the foundations that allow each client to move and perform beyond their previous level.
- Musculoskeletal and post-operative rehabilitation across public and private sectors
- Experience with neurological and complex clients in NDIS settings
- Past leadership in National Health Service (UK) roles, including service development and mentoring
- Return-to-sport planning and functional strength rehabilitation
- Force plate testing and performance monitoring
- Post orthopaedic surgery rehabilitation
- Post-operative rehabilitation and planning for knee joint injuries
- ACL reconstruction and joint arthroscopy/debridement
- Injury prevention and mitigation through specialised sport programs
Jonathan Parra
Physiotherapist
Jonathan specialises in musculoskeletal physiotherapy, orthopaedics and sport. His approach centres on keeping people active while building the resilience to perform consistently — whether recovering from injury, managing persistent pain, or pushing toward a higher performance baseline.
- Physiotherapist at Brisbane Roar Youth
- Physiotherapist at Football Queensland
- Extensive experience in private clinical practice along with hospital based physiotherapy
- Physiotherapist at private hospital managing pre and post-operative orthopaedic conditions
- Anatomy tutor
- Musculoskeletal and injury management and data-driven testing
- Athlete testing and rehabilitation
- Sports and athletic injury rehabilitation
- Athletic injuries, particularly football-related
- Gym-based overuse and repetitive strain injuries
- Orthopaedic injury rehabilitation (TKRs)
- Performance optimisation and data-driven rehabilitation
Work With Our Team
Ready to get started?
Book in with one of our physiotherapists and get a personalised plan built around your body, your goals, and your performance data.