Sport Rehabilitation BSc

Your first year will see you gain the foundational knowledge of sport rehabilitation. Through real-life and simulated case studies you will build your clinical skills on a foundation of anatomy, physiology and theory. Each module lasts a year enabling you to develop your understanding over time to ensure you are prepared for clinical placement in year two.  

During year one, you will sometimes be taught alongside the BSc Physiotherapy students, encouraging collaborative learning.

Human Functioning:

How does the human body work? Using case studies and simulated learning, this module develops your foundational knowledge and skills in anatomy, physiology, human movement, disease and injury, and the biopsychosocial framework for health.  

Individual Health Evaluation

In this module, you’ll gain the essential communication and clinical skills to be able to diagnose and care for a patient or client. You’ll develop your consultation skills, learn how to take a patient’s history, undertake a physical assessment, note take and record clinical data.

Principles of Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is one of the essential elements of being a Sport Rehabilitator. To achieve the desired outcomes for a patient or client, treatment and rehabilitation must be planned and applied carefully. In this module you will analyse and learn a range of therapy and rehabilitation skills including physical activity, exercise prescription, and therapeutic skills such as functional rehabilitation, manual therapy (hands-on skills) and sport rehabilitation. 

Developing Criticality

Our management of patients and athletes should always be based on the research evidence. The ability to think critically about the information you are presented with is therefore essential to the role of a sport rehabilitator. Through the development of your critical thinking skills, you will be able to assess if something is true or not. You’ll build skills in critical thinking and reflection, critical appraisal - how to read a research paper, clinical reasoning – how to make the best clinical decisions, and logic and argument formation.

Health in Society

How can we contribute to making a healthier society? This module introduces you to the principles of public and population health, epidemiology (incidence of disease and injury in populations), and the global burden of poor health. 

Introduction to Leadership in Sport Rehabilitation

This module addresses the concepts of professionalism and citizenship, both nationally and internationally, that are relevant to the Graduate Sport Rehabilitator. You will be introduced to a variety of working environments accessible to Graduate Sport Rehabilitators and identify the unique challenges and opportunities that each present. Consideration will also be made to the larger globalised profession including Athletic Training and Therapy.

In your second year you will deepen your knowledge and skills in the management of injuries including key concepts in injury prevention, exercise prescription for rehabilitation, and elements of exercise science relevant to rehabilitation. You will also complete a clinical placement in a sport rehabilitation or exercise-related setting.

Neuromusculoskeletal Injury Assessment & Management

This module develops key Sport Rehabilitator skills in assessment, clinical reasoning, and treatment for neuromusculoskeletal conditions and injuries. You will learn a range of evidence-based assessment and rehabilitation techniques to work with patients from onset of injury through their rehabilitation journey. You will also develop an awareness of the scope of practise of a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator. Teaching is via case scenarios.

This module also includes a five-week (or equivalent) clinical placement.

Manual Therapies in Sport Rehabilitation

The knowledge and ‘hands on’ skills learned in year one are developed further in this module with the introduction of a range of advanced manual therapy techniques. The evidence base for the use of such techniques is investigated and discussed.  As part of this module, you will also work in the David Ross Sports Village Injury clinic in the student-led massage clinic to develop your practical skills and increase confidence working with patients prior to clinical placement.

Fundamentals of Strength & Conditioning

Strength and conditioning techniques are another fundamental component of sport rehabilitation practise. This module introduces a range of underpinning strength and conditioning concepts including the use of pre-participation screening processes for health and performance, along with a variety of different strength and conditioning training techniques. You will develop your exercise prescription, periodisation of training and Olympic lifting knowledge to take a clinical reasoning approach to providing an evidence-based justification to strength and conditioning programming.

Exercise Science of Sport Rehabilitation

This module introduces the elements of exercise science relevant to a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator, including sports nutrition, exercise physiology for performance, psychology of injury and biomechanics. An appreciation of the scope of practise of different exercise science disciplines enables you to identify when a patient or client needs to be referred on to another professional. It covers both theoretical and practical applications of the different aspects of exercise science within the context of sport rehabilitation and physical activity.

Applied Criticality in Health

Research underpins all that we do in healthcare. In this module, you’ll apply and analyse concepts of criticality in healthcare research. You’ll learn how to develop your own research proposal, compare research methodologies and methods, develop ethics and governance processes for healthcare research, evaluate data and undertake statistical analysis.

Global Leadership

How can sport rehabilitators change the world? In this module, you’ll apply the principles of leadership to individual and organisational contexts. You’ll learn how to develop social improvement projects, evaluate impact of health interventions, engage with global professional communities, and develop international student networks to lead future change. 

In your final year you will have greater opportunity to develop as an independent learner, completing a dissertation research project and an exciting community-based project to promote sport, exercise, health or wellbeing. We offer a flexible approach to tailor your learning allowing you to choose one from a range of option modules.

Complete Management of Injury Rehabilitation

This module consolidates the knowledge and skills developed over your first two years into a holistic approach to managing an injury. From the immediate/pitch side pre-hospital care of the individual through their full rehabilitation journey. You will also undertake an advanced pre-hospital trauma qualification from a recognised governing body. You will progress your knowledge of the use of exercise as a treatment modality when working with patients and clients with a variety of different health complaints or those from a special population, as well as pre-surgical and post-surgical rehabilitation of common injuries.

This module also includes a five-week (or equivalent) clinical placement.

Sustainable Health

How can we help make healthcare future-proof? This module will evaluate the limitations of current healthcare and consider future-proof, holistic and sustainable healthcare models that can be embedded within rehabilitation practise in both local and global contexts.

Dissertation Project

This full-year module will see you complete a substantial piece of research related to your chosen area of practise. As part of your dissertation, you’ll critically review literature, identify a gap in the knowledge base, develop an appropriate research approach to address that gap, and write-up your project. 

Physical Activity for Public Health

This module gives an introduction to the concepts of public health and health promotion specifically for sport rehabilitators. Definitions of health and ill-health are introduced with an overview of contemporary health care systems. Models of health promotion to address public health issues in the context of sport and exercise are considered. As part of this module you will undertake a project whilst volunteering in the wider community in a health and wellbeing or rehabilitation setting.

Option modules:

We like to give students choice where we can and in year three you can choose one of a range of option modules. Currently these are topics such as Occupational Health & Workplace Wellbeing, Contemporary Challenges in Rehabilitation and Advanced Professional Development.

Contemporary Challenges in Rehabilitation

Advance your knowledge of rehabilitation in specific and emerging contexts, exploring the latest issues and practises. You'll evaluate rehabilitation strategies in a variety of priority areas, create and undertake priority strategies and develop your practical skills for the assessment and management of specific and challenging groups.

Advanced Professional Development

This module explores the wide variety of career pathways open for sport rehabilitators. You will research areas such as clinical, research, management, leadership, politics, and education. This module helps to develop your ability to set up and manage your own business. You will also create a professional development portfolio related to your desired career route.

Occupational Health and Workplace Wellbeing 

Maintaining and improving an efficient workforce by considering health and wellbeing in the workplace is a growing area for rehabilitation. You will develop your workplace clinical assessment and management skills, and evidence-based strategies to impact the individual and societal burden of work-place related health and wellbeing.