Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation with Foundation Year

We'll help you develop core academic skills such as using electronic resources, planning and note-taking, communication skills related to essay and report writing and delivering presentations.

You'll learn to manage your time, prioritise tasks and manage stress, and become more confident in engaging with collaborative learning, debates, discussions and critical reflection.

Study areas of interest related to your chosen future academic specialisation in this highly personalised module.

You'll have 25 hours of workshop tuition to explore how you will be assessed and the form your project could take, which could be a written report, a presentation, a film or a series of blog posts.

You'll also explore topics your project could focus on, and get peer assessment of your ideas.

In the first semester, you'll get support through personal tutoring and learning hub liaison.

You'll also explore careers and employability pathways in sport and health with the Graduate Recruitment Team and the School of Health, Sport and Life Sciences.

In the second semester, you'll produce your negotiated assessment, focussing on existing academic literature and other secondary sources.

You won't undertake primary empirical research.

You'll study multi-disciplinary perspectives on sport, exercise, physical performance and rehabilitation therapies including physiological, psychological, biochemical, tactical, pedagogical and rehabilitation.

You'll be introduced to the basic key theories to illustrate these perspectives, followed by practical-based activities for hands-on understanding.

A range of methods will be deployed for evaluating sport, exercise and physical performance, including interpretation, presentation and reflection upon data.

Study multi-disciplinary perspectives of the role of exercise and physical activity with the context of health. You'll gain knowledge on the basic key theories such as health and wellbeing, behaviour change, health and safety, intervention design and working with clients through a range of activities.

You'll build your knowledge through a combination of interactive lectures and workshops as well as in practical settings which may include lab sessions, field-based activities and practical workshops.

You’ll be introduced to the Standards of Proficiency and Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics relevant to the sector.

Opportunities will be available to apply the standards to any role within the sector. Linked to the standards, you’ll  also be introduced to the process of reflection and the importance of engaging in reflection for continual professional development.

Understanding of key academic terminology will be covered to assist you in progressing through your studies and allowing you to develop evidence-based practice. A first aid qualification relevant to the sector will have to be completed.

You’ll learn the theoretical and applied experience in understanding key physiological elements of performance and health within the context of Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation.

This includes the principles of physiology such as the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, the nervous systems, and energy metabolism and use.

You’ll make links between underpinning principles and practical work conducted in the applied setting specific to your programme of study, allowing you to develop the foundations for clinical reasoning for treatment modalities and decisions.

Core aspects of research and enquiry will also be introduced, such as how to read and utilise research articles, how to conduct basic literature searches. 

You’ll be introduced to the planning of exercise sessions and theories for appropriately preparing clients for exercise.

Building on this, skills for leading exercise sessions for individuals and groups will be included to allow you to meet the needs of different clients.

Technical exercise correction will be covered to ensure you are capable of enhancing outcomes and reducing injury risk.

You’ll be equipped with the skills to conduct basic health screening tests and analyse health screening data.

Develop your knowledge of current advice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and make evidence-based recommendations and signposting to appropriate resources.

In addition to promoting healthy lifestyles, you will develop an understanding of how appropriate recommendations and signposting could support therapeutic interventions.

You’ll have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the anatomy of the human body which underpins the work of a Sports Therapist. More specifically, a Sports Therapist must be able to accurately and effectively locate and palpate specific bony prominences, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Detailed knowledge of aetiology, pathology and assessment is essential to successfully identify, treat and rehabilitate sports injuries.

Subjective assessments form the initial stages of working with any client and being able to efficiently take accurate notes is an important skill for treatment continuity. There is also a demand for soft tissue manual therapy techniques in the general public and athletes for reasons such as alleviation of symptoms and restoration of optimum function. These goals are essential in promoting quality of every-day life in both athletes and non-athletes. we will provide you with the opportunity to understand both a theoretical and applied understanding of soft tissue manual therapy techniques.

You’ll also have an opportunity to complete a work placement or professional challenge element of your study.

You’ll be introduced to key research methodologies and paradigms, including qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection and analysis.

You’ll engage with case studies and contemporary literature to critically evaluate research and its application to practice across relevant sectors.

The module also emphasises ethical considerations, evidence‑based decision‑making, and effective communication of research findings.

Develop your professional skills and to apply and reflect on these within a ‘professional’ placement.

You’ll be provided with some supporting content relevant to your programme of study that will further add capability to what you can achieve in the placement such as, developing your reflective practice skills, enhancing communication skills via a range of media, interdisciplinary working, and career guidance relating to your chosen sector (incl. guest speaker inputs), as well as placement searching and CV writing.

Sports Therapists need to have a detailed understanding of the biomechanical principles that underlie movement of the body during exercise to allow them to be effective in managing injuries.

You’ll study the link between the anatomy of joints and the movements they will allow and joint flexibility, how to apply biomechanical principles to model the movement being studied, master a range of methods of collecting data, and be able to apply all of this to individual cases.

You’ll focus on understanding and addressing the unique needs of special population groups, such as individuals with chronic conditions or disabilities.

Explore the prevalence of various conditions and their impact on the body, examining how these may affect physical health, movement, and rehabilitation.

We’ll cover the evaluation of different physical training methodologies, assessing their applicability to these populations.

You’ll learn how to design safe, effective exercise programs tailored to specific health conditions, ensuring that interventions are both appropriate and beneficial for enhancing overall well-being and functionality in special populations.

We’ll cover a range of treatment modalities (E.g. Thermotherapy, Taping, Electrotherapy) and their physiological effects. The concepts and theories surrounding peripheral mobilisations will be introduced and the application of peripheral mobilisations for treatment and management of peripheral pathologies.

You’ll be provided with an applied experience in a range of activities that underpin rehabilitation, including the theoretical justification for these. Develop the knowledge and skills to implement rehabilitation protocols for all clients and pathologies, from the initial injury / post-operation stage to full functionality and activities of daily living.

A key role of a Sports Therapist is the ability to safely and effectively manage non-life threatening and life threating conditions.

In your studies, you’ll meet a number of professional body outcomes relating to recognition and evaluation of injury, and management, treatment and referral competencies.

You’ll be given an evidence-based approach to previously achieved first aid qualifications and equip you with the skills and knowledge to expand your competencies.

You’ll be introduced to more advanced strength and conditioning practice for enhancing performance. This will include the principles and theories underpinning these practices and effective selection and utilisation of exercises for individuals and groups of participants.

Back pain and dysfunction affect an increasingly large proportion of the general public and athletic population during their lifetime. The causes of these pathologies can be both mechanical and neurological and the knowledge and understanding gained from this module ensures you can safely and effectively assess and treat clients suffering from these dysfunctions.

Develop your skills as a reflective, critical thinking and evidence-based practitioner. The module also encourages the process of identifying personal Continued Professional Development needs and the importance of short- and long-term goal setting for career planning and progression.

This module will include a requirement to gather at least 175 SST accreditation hours whilst studying the final year of your programme.

Please note, these hours contribute to the 250 SST accreditation hours that must be gathered across the entirety of your course. Of these 250 hours, a minimum of 150 of must come from hands-on clinical placements or internships where you are under the supervision of an appropriate professional.

You’ll conduct independent research, applying appropriate methodologies to explore a topic aligned with your field of study. Core content will support the development of your project, covering project planning, critical analysis, ethical considerations, and reflective practice. Formative feedback and tutorials will guide you to a final project submission and presentation.