PHTY614 - Advanced Principles of Human Movement for Exercise and Sports Performance

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Unit rationale, description and aim

To effectively prevent and manage injuries and improve performance in athletes and people participating in sports and exercise, it is important for physiotherapists to have a thorough understanding of the underlying functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology. 

This unit will help students understand advanced principles of human movement for sports, exercise and performance through integrating relevant aspects of functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology. Using virtual anatomy workshops to review the neuromusculoskeletal system of each body region, online activities and practicals on biomechanics and exercise physiology, students will develop their understanding of and ability to analyse sporting or exercise skills and movements and how pathology may impact these. The knowledge, understanding and skills students gain in this unit will be further developed in units of PHTY615 Clinical Exercise for Health and Performance across the Lifespan and PHTY616 Sports Medicine and Musculoskeletal Clinical Practice for Physiotherapists.

The aim of this unit is to help students increase their knowledge and ability to analyse underlying functional anatomy, biomechanics, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing and exercise physiology relating to diverse sporting or exercise skills and movements, and to incorporate these into the prevention and management of sports and musculoskeletal injuries and promotion of sport and exercise performance.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Describe advanced key principles and integrated theory of relevant functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology as they relate to specific sports / exercise skills or movements (GA3, GA6, GA7)

LO2 - Integrate and explain advanced key principles of functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology related to the analysis of specific sports/ exercise skills or movements (GA7, GA8, GA9, GA10)

LO3 - Critically analyse, synthesise and apply knowledge of advanced key principles of functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology using an evidence-informed approach, to identify potential injury risks, prevention and optimization of performance related to specific sports/ exercise skills or movements (GA4, GA6, GA8, GA9, GA10)

Graduate attributes

GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

Content

Topics will include:

Module 1: Functional Anatomy in the context of sport and exercise for:

• Head and neck
• Scapula and upper limb
• Trunk, spine and pelvis
• Lower limb

Module 2: Normal Physiology of tissue mechanics and tissue response to injury, healing and repair in the context of sport and exercise for:

• Bone and joints
• Ligament
• Muscle
• Tendon
• Nerve
• Connective tissue and skin

Module 3: Biomechanics of movement (normal and pathological) and skill analysis in the context of sport and exercise:

• Review of biomechanical principles and clinical application for motion analysis
• Gait - Walking and running
• Jumping and or landing
• Kicking
• Throwing
• Sports skills – e.g. swimming, tennis, athletics, gymnastics, dancing, golf, football

Module 4: Exercise Physiology: Human adaptations and physiological mechanisms in exercise and physical activity

• Review of basic physiological/biochemical principles and cell metabolism  
• Cardiovascular system control and response to exercise
• Respiratory system control and response to exercise
• Endocrine system and (hormonal) response to exercise
• Skeletal muscle and response to exercise
• Theoretical basis for clinical exercise testing, interpretation and application of results

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

ACU Online

This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Active learning experiences provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in their work environment. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn, with students encouraged to contribute to asynchronous discussions, and with the option to engage in supplementary synchronous learning opportunities when scheduled. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.

This unit is delivered online. The overall strategy is a constructive journey from content knowledge to understanding to application.

In practice, the unit delivers asynchronous online content and activities (e.g., readings, recorded lectures, discussion forums), with tutorial and practical sessions taking an evidence-informed approach to explore and extend knowledge, understanding and skills of application of relevant functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology.

Throughout, the strategy that supports students' learning will reflect respect for each individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and participate actively in all learning activities, including through the online environment.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to best enable students to achieve the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. The assessment strategy in this unit has been designed as a developmental narrative progressing through the assessment to support learning as well as to assess it. The sequence of assessment tasks include:

• Assessment 1: A short answer written task to assess student ability to describe advanced key principles of functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology;
• Assessment 2: An oral presentation to assess student ability to integrate and explain advanced key principles of functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology, within the context of analysing a sporting/ exercise skill or movement; and,
• Assessment 3: A written assignment to assess student ability to critically analyse, synthesise and apply knowledge in analysing a sporting/ exercise skill or movement, incorporating relevant functional anatomy, tissue physiology and pathophysiology of tissue healing, biomechanics and exercise physiology, using an evidence-informed approach. 

Students must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 50% across all assessments.

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Acland's Video Atlas of Human Anatomy Database, Wolters Kluwer.

Brukner, P., Clarsen, B., Cook, J., Crossley, K., Hutchinson, M, McCrory, P, Bahr, R., and Khan, K. (2017). Brukner and Khan’s clinical sports medicine (5th ed.). Volume 1: Injuries. Sydney: McGraw-Hill.

Brukner, P. and Khan, K. (2019). Brukner and Khan's clinical sports medicine (5th ed.): Volume 2: The medicine of exercise. Sydney: McGraw-Hill.

Coombes, J., and Skinner, T. (2021). ESSA’s Student Manual for Health, Exercise and Sport Assessment (2nd edition). Elsevier Australia.

Ferber, R., and Macdonald, S (2014). Running mechanics and gait analysis with online video. Champaign, IL: Human, Kinetics.

Porter, S., and Wilson, J. (2021). A Comprehensive Guide to Sports Physiology and Injury Management (1st edition). Elsevier.

McGinnis, Peter (2020). Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise 4ed.

Seifter, J.L., Walsh, E., and Sloane, D,E. (2021). Integrated Physiology and Pathophysiology (1st edition). Elsevier Ltd.

Tomkins, Z., (2021). Integrating Systems: Clinical Cases in Anatomy and Physiology (1st edition). Elsevier Australia.