Sports Therapy

This module will prepare you for the role of a sports therapist. You'll understand the healing and repair process for muscle, ligament, tendon and bone. You'll learn how to assess and manage acute injuries. This includes subjective examination, sports massage and soft tissue therapy techniques. You'll also learn about emergency care and injury prevention. You'll put these skills to practice through internal and external placements.

Learn about osteology, arthrology, myology and neurology of the lower limb joints. You'll learn how to carry out an examination and assessment of the lower limb joints. You'll develop the professional skills for safe and effective care, including informed consent, duty of care, manual handling and more.

Learn about the short and long term effects of exercise on physiological systems. You'll understand the kinesiological principles to prescribe, progress and regress exercise. This includes both land and water environments. You'll also learn about laboratory and field-based testing for components of fitness, health and sports performance.

Learn about the osteology, arthrology, myology and neurology of the spine and upper limb joints. You'll also learn how to carry out a basic musculoskeletal examination of the spine and upper limb joints. Develop professional skills for safe and effective care, including informed consent, duty of care, manual handling and more.

Learn how to monitor athletes to minimise injury risks in sport, health and exercise. You'll implement appropriate screening, monitoring and training methods. You'll also understand and evaluate clinical research, evidence-based practice and research methods. This includes selecting relevant data analysis techniques to answer research questions.

Understand the theory underpinning sports therapy and develop the skills to manage a sports injury. You'll be able to examine, assess and apply therapeutic techniques to the lumbar spine and peripheral lower limb joints. You'll also understand common epidemiological and aetiological factors contributing to injury. Continue to develop your professional skills for safe and effective care. Apply your learning through internal and external placements.

Develop your knowledge of the principles and stages of rehabilitation. You'll learn how to plan, implement and evaluate effective rehabilitation programmes. This includes return to play criteria and progression markers. You'll also develop a research proposal for future research.

You'll learn how to examine, assess and apply therapeutic techniques to the cervical spine and peripheral upper limb joints. You'll have the opportunity to apply this through experiential learning in clinical and sporting environments within internal and external placements. Develop professional skills including reflective practice, evidenced-based reasoning and clinical documentation.

Explore the theories underpinning various training methodologies, including periodisation. You'll apply the principles of strength and conditioning to sport-specific training programmes. You'll also understand the principles of functional rehabilitation and learn how to monitor progress.

You will develop the knowledge and skills required to recognise and manage traumatic injuries safely, including patient assessment, life support, airway management, haemorrhage control, and spinal immobilisation. The module also focuses on effective communication and the safe transfer of care to healthcare professionals. You will design and critically evaluate Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) relevant to trauma and emergency contexts, while further enhancing professional competence through experiential learning and clinical placements.

Develop your ability to provide holistic care for injured athletes. You'll critically evaluate approaches to the treatment of injury in contemporary literature. This includes physiological, psychological, nutritional, biomechanical and pathological influences on injury. You'll continue to develop your professional skills through experiential learning, internal and external placements. You will also enhance your employability through portfolio development, reflection on professional competencies, and career planning.

Pursue an in-depth study on a topic of your choice, which is related to your degree. You'll carry out your own primary data collection and review relevant literature. This will demonstrate your academic skills and understanding. You'll present your findings in a research dissertation.