EXSC346 - Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

(EXSC220 Biomechanics OR EXSC321 Biomechanics ) AND EXSC216 Resistance Training: Science and Application

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Reducing the likelihood of injury and illness is critical when prescribing exercise for health, fitness and/or sports performance. This unit will provide an evidence-based approach to the aetiology of sports injury, the relationship of these injuries to movement and the acute and chronic healing processes, and to the use of exercise as a rehabilitation tool. The unit aims to provide the knowledge, understanding and skills for prescribing exercise with an injury prevention perspective, and for delivering exercise programs following injury that have been prescribed by an appropriately qualified professional.

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 - Examine features (causes, mechanisms, antecedents, rates) of acute and chronic sports injury (GA4, GA8) 

LO2 - Prescribe evidence-based exercise for prevention of acute and chronic sporting injuries (GA4, GA5, GA7, GA8, GA10). 

LO3 - Prescribe evidence-based exercise for rehabilitation of acute and chronic sporting injuries accounting for the phase of rehabilitation (initial, intermediate, advanced, return to sport) (GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9). 

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

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: 

• Injury prevention and rehabilitation principles including use of exercise to improve joint range of motion, muscle strength, neuromuscular control and sports specific movements and cardiorespiratory fitness 
• Mechanical and physiological aspects of injuries and rehabilitation, pathomechanics and movement dysfunction 
• Exercise prescription for prevention and rehabilitation of common sports injuries to regions of the body such as the ankle, knee, hip, spine, shoulder and upper limb 
• Return to sport/performance requirements and criteria assessment based on needs analysis of the sport 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Learning and teaching strategies include project-based collaborative learning, practical and experiential learning, peer led team learning, web-based learning, case-based learning, and reflective/critical thinking activities, which will be delivered across 12 weeks. This range of strategies will provide students with appropriate access to required knowledge and understanding of unit content, and opportunities for application of knowledge and understanding for practical skill development in exercise science contexts. These strategies will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit, as well as professional practice standards. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities.  

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to best enable students to demonstrate unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. A range of assessment strategies are used including: case conference tasks to assess student ability to consolidate literature and apply it to a variety of sporting contexts. These collaborative activities are embedded across the unit to ensure breadth of knowledge is experienced in the unit. As a group (Assessment 1) requires a live audiovisual presentation providing students an opportunity work collaboratively and present evidence-based prevention programs across a variety of sporting contexts.  Students will share ideas through developing exercise rehabilitation programs (Assessment 2) via in-class case conferences, in addition to developing return to sport criteria (Assessment 3) for specific sporting context. The variety of assessment modes is designed with the intention to reflect real-world exercise science teams. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

American College of Sports Medicine (2017. ACSM’s guidelines for exercise testing and prescription (10th Ed). New York: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. 

Brukner, P & Khan, K (2017). Clinical Sports Medicine: Injuries (5th Ed.) New York: McGraw Hill