Athletic & Rehabilitation Therapy

The term sports injury refers to the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur during sports or exercise. Some sports injuries result from accidents; others are due to poor training practices, improper equipment, lack of conditioning, or insufficient warm-up and stretching. Although virtually any part of your body can be injured during sports or exercise, the term “musculoskeletal injury” is usually reserved for injuries involving the musculoskeletal system, including the muscles, bones, and associated tissues such as cartilage. Examples are tennis elbow, runner’s knee, breaks to bones, torn ligaments, and torn tendons.

In this honors degree, students will become skilled in the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries related to physical activity.

In the first year, the basic building blocks of science are introduced, as well as a number of modules that build on transferable skills and pave the way for the transition to third-level education. Athletic rehabilitation therapy is introduced as a profession and students will have the opportunity to become involved in the pre-participation screening of injuries in various teams including collegiate and professional teams.

In the second year, anatomy, conditions, and injuries serve as the theme, while students will be introduced to clinical practice through student-led clinics and practical placements.

In year 3, clinical practice with student-led clinics is further developed and the main themes are injuries, diagnosis, and therapies, thereby creating the foundation pillars for the clinical practice placement which takes place in the first semester in year 4.

In the final year, the emphasis is on advanced clinical and rehabilitation techniques with the clinical practice placement having an embedded research project strand. The final year is really a capstone year designed to cap all the skills acquired by the student throughout the four years of the program, preparing them for the profession of Athletic Rehabilitation Therapy and employment as a professional clinical practitioner.