BSc (Hons) Sports Rehabilitation
Sports at the University of Bolton Accredited by the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators & Trainers
BSc (Hons) Sport Rehabilitation
The 3 year programme consists of 15 taught modules, 400 hours of integrated clinical work experience (a requirement for BASRaT accreditation) spanning 2 modules and a project-based dissertation module. The programme also includes speakers from industry including, consultant orthopaedic surgeons, radiologists, leading sport rehabilitators and physiotherapists from professional sports, and a pitchside trauma management course run by the chief trauma doctor of the Rugby Football Union.
Bolton One – purpose-built facility A £9.2 million university investment has brought about teaching and learning that are state-of-the-art and purpose-built for the successful delivery of the programme and professional development of our students. Bolton One also houses the Bupa– registered Sports and Spinal Injury Clinic (SSIC) and Athlete Development Centre (ADC), where the use of these facilities reflect a holistic professional practice setting, where students assist with sport staff in the day-to-day functioning of the SSIC and ADC, in order to see taught skills applied to the professional athletic and sports injury arenas.
You are guided and taught by currently practicing clinicians, who are active in current research in the Sport Rehabilitation field. All your teaching staff have extensive experience across professional football, rugby league and rugby union, the NHS and private practice. The Sport Rehabilitation students benefit from fully equipped teaching clinics, a rehabilitation and exercise suite, a strength and conditioning suite, and extensive sport science and sport biomechanics laboratories that includes a 100m running track with embedded Kistler force plates and Vicon motion capture equipment.
Join the future of sports medicine care The British Association of Sport Rehabilitators & Trainers (BASRaT) – accredited BSc (Hons) Sport Rehabilitation undergraduate programme is a primary route into a rapidly advancing field of sports medicine. Lead by experienced clinicians from professional sport and the private injury practice field, you will gain the knowledge from leading research and current practice to excel in the sports medical industry.
Outcomes – what’s in it for me?
Employability Students gain relevant and up-to-the-minute assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and preventative knowledge and skills that are directly transferrable into clinical practice.
What have our students been up to in the last year? Our students provide their skills and support in order to support athletes (preparation and recovery) for northwest events including the Bolton Iron Man, Bolton 10km race, East Manchester 10km race, Wilmslow half marathon and also for professional Football and Rugby League teams amongst many other volunteer opportunities, most notably getting their elbows into the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Union Team on their most recent visit!
The ‘hands-on’ approach Having the opportunity to get ‘hands on’ with professional and semi-professional athletes, allows you to develop your clinical skills in the work setting. We provide clinical work experience in professional football, rugby league, rugby union and private injury clinics, to name a few, where many of our student successes emerge from their dedication, application and hard work whilst on placement.
Technology You will understand the use of state of the art equipment used in professional sports clubs, private clinics and athlete diagnostic centres.
Other specialist equipment includes a hydrotherapy facility, isokinetic dynamometer, and performance analysis via expired air and blood sampling.
Year 1 (HE4) Introduction to Sport & Exercise Biomechanics This core module aims to provide the Sport Rehabilitator with the basis to analyse human kinetics. Taking into account forces acting upon both a static and dynamic body enables the students to analyse athletic performance, resolving and preventing potential injury, and enhancing athletic performance.
Musculoskeletal Injury This is an introduction to diagnostics; the module aims to provide the student with basic orthopaedic examination skills for upper and lower limb joints, including subjective and objective assessments, the aetiology and presentation of common pathologies, and setting general treatment plans.
Clinical Anatomy This module aims to develop essential practical and theoretical knowledge of hard and soft tissue structures of the upper and lower extremities. The module includes a visit to Keele University’s Anatomy Dissection Laboratories and uses the outstanding 3D graphics Anatomy package from Anatomy. TV to apply fascinating visual insight into human anatomy.
Research Methods in Sport Rehabilitation Research Methods aims to equip the student with the skill of clinical research and laboratory report writing essential to all module assignments.
Therapeutic Skills The aim of this module is to (i) provide the student with skills such as massage therapy, basic exercise therapy, electrotherapy and basic taping/strapping techniques that are required to influence the healing capacity of an injured athlete in the early stages of rehabilitation, (ii) understanding the physiological process of soft tissue healing, and (iii) understanding the effects that treatments will create.
Human Physiology This module covers the fundamental human physiological systems of the human body, where students gain practical and theoretical knowledge of the subject, with laboratory experience in measuring several physiological and health-related factors such as heart and lung function, measuring heart rate responses,
Year 2 (HE5)
Psychology in Sport
Injury Prevention and Functional Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation
The module will equip the student to assess the athlete’s kinetics, design injury prevention interventions and repair any potential weaknesses prior to the return to training phase in terms of strength, flexibility, proprioception, agility, speed and function, and an introduction to movement screening
More and more emphasis is being placed upon sports psychology with relation to match day performance and recovery from injury. Our concern is complete rehabilitation, this being both in a mental and physical capacity. The module enables the student to understand many of the psychological issues of competitive sport and injury, and how to approach the management of these issues.
Theory and Practice of Therapeutic Modalities The nature of the Sport Rehabilitation role will require the individual to have a multidimensional approach to treatments. This module will teach the students about the theory and safe practice of many modalities of treatment.
Spinal Anatomy, Pathology, Mobilisation and Manipulation This module provides the student valuable, indepth theoretical knowledge of the complex anatomy of the spinal column, associated pathologies and pain presentations. The student also learns specific manual therapy joint mobilisation and manipulation techniques.
Further Research Methods in Sport Rehabilitation This module is designed to prepare the student for the 3rd year research project. Furthermore the module aims to equip the student with computer statistical packages that are required for data analysis.
Applied Physiology Applied Physiology studies the effects that acute exercise, conditioning and fitness training has on the professional athlete, in order to improve performance and facilitate the rehabilitation process. The delivery is a multi-angled approach with a large variety of practical sessions including designing general and specific warm-ups, fitness component testing, and performance parameter testing, linked with theoretical content. This module also aims to provide an understanding of the fundamental sports nutrition strategies to optimise performance.
Year 3 (HE6) Advanced Clinical Skills This module has many elements attached to it, including the immediate pitch side care course taught by the chief trauma doctor for England Rugby Union and an external Orthoteers diagnostics course run by senior consultants and physiotherapists working in professional sport. The module will continue to consolidate knowledge from the Musculoskeletal Injury Module and Injury Prevention and Functional Rehabilitation Module taking complicated issues such as pelvic and shoulder complex stability and the difficult task of understanding and resolving the cause of injury rather than just treating the symptoms.
Differential Diagnosis, Referral & Management This aspect of the course is constructed to broaden the horizons of the student beyond Musculoskeletal/ orthopaedic medicine, thinking deeper to recognise when a condition maybe beyond their scope of practice. It is essential for the Sport Rehabilitator to recognise pathology that is not musculoskeletal in origin and know when and how to refer to other Health Professionals.
Clinical Experience The final year placement is designed for the student to integrate all aspects of the course in the work place. The course has many links with top football and rugby (union and league) clubs. We also provide placements in physiotherapy musculoskeletal clinics and orthopaedic out-patient private clinics throughout the North West. Placement links further afield in the USA include an association with Seton Hall University and National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), where students are able to gain clinical experience within a nation that displays many advances in Sports Medicine. The University of Bolton’s established Sports and Spinal Injuries Clinic provides ‘in-house’ experience throughout the course and offers the students a chance to consolidate manual therapy skills in a supportive learning environment.
Back to Sport This module brings together the Sports Science and Sport Rehabilitation elements. It challenges students to analyse and boost athletic performance understanding each individual’s physiology and the unique demands their sport places on them whilst also conducting specific rehabilitation programmes. Back to Sport focuses on applying preventative screening tests, motion control testing and retraining, and specific tissue adaptation principles to the rehabilitation process.
Dissertation The student is required to design a dissertation and allows each individual the opportunity to investigate any area of sportsrelated musculoskeletal medicine, and provide in depth research into elements of the course in which they have a particular interest.
What do you want to be? Graduates are able to follow many routes including direct employment in professional sports clubs, private sports injury practice, and the Ministry of Defence, personal training, postgraduate studies in Strength and Conditioning, Physiotherapy, Exercise Science and other related courses and teaching.
Professional and Industry Links As researchers and clinicians, we have close links to local professional teams, such as Bolton Wanderers FC, Blackburn Rovers FC, Burnley FC, Wigan Athletic FC, and further afield such as Warrington Wolves RLFC, St Helens RLFC and Huddersfield Giants RLFC. Our industry links provide our students with placement opportunities, where many of our graduates have gained employment following their success as a student.
‘This is a great course if you have a passion for sport and an interest in anatomy, physiology and musculoskeletal injury. With the help offered by the lecturers and the experience gained from professional sport and private practice clinics I believe that I will be well prepared for a career in the field of sports injuries.’ James Naylor, graduated Summer 2012
‘I think that the close relationship and support between first and second years both socially and academically has been beneficial to all students.’ Laura Davie, studying level 3 in 2012/13
The British Association of Sport Rehabilitators & Trainers (BASRaT) accredited BSc (Hons) Sport Rehabilitation under-graduate programme is a primary route into a rapidly advancing field of sports medicine. Lead by experienced clinicians from professional sports and the private injury practice field, you will gain the knowledge from leading research and current practice to excel in the sports medical industry.
Bolton One Purpose built facility A ÂŁ9.2 million university investment has brought about teaching and learning that are state-of-the-art and purpose-built for the successful delivery of the programme and professional development of our students. Bolton One also houses the Sports and Spinal Injury Clinic (SSIC) and Athlete Development Centre (ADC), where the use of these facilities reflect a holistic professional practice setting, where students assist with sport staff in the day-to-day functioning of the SSIC and ADC, in order to see taught skills applied to the professional athletic and sports injury arenas. The Sport Rehabilitation students benefit from fully equipped teaching clinics, a rehabilitation and exercise suite, a strength and conditioning suite, and extensive sport science and sport biomechanics laboratories that includes a 100m running track with embedded Kistler force plates and Vicon motion capture equipment. Other specialist equipment includes a hydrotherapy facility, isokinetic dynamometer, and performance analysis via expired air and blood sampling.
Musculoskeletal Care for the Physically Active With large sectors of the population engaging in regular physical activity, whether that is professional or recreational sport, there is a growing need for improved knowledge in helping participants recover from injury, and more importantly, preventing injury from occurring. The field of prevention is rapidly expanding, with growing research following incidence and the cause of injury, and the subsequent detection of injury indicators. The provision of preventative care for all sport and leisure participants helps to ensure a healthy and potentially injury-free life-style, and ultimately a more enjoyable and rewarding return from the actual participation itself. After all, anyone who can remain injury-free will reap the benefits of continued participation of any activity, be at a professional standard, or training for that upcoming half marathon.
The Sports Rehabilitation course was a great pathway to get me prepared for the working environment with a good mix of theory and practical learning. The varieties of clinical placements were excellent and gave me firsthand experience of the many different career choices available. Aaron Smale, graduated Summer 2011
The skills I learnt were put into practice in my final year as I went on a three month placement at Oldham Athletic FC. I also had placements at Wigan Athletic FC and Bury FC. On completion of this course I was offered the Centre of Excellence Physiotherapist job at Oldham Athletic FC where I look after the under 9’s to 16’s and provide pitch side support. Adam Brown, graduated Summer 2011
Staff Anna Fitzpatrick Course Leader Sport Rehabilitation Head of Sports and Spinal Injuries Clinic Room: 003-01-003 Tel: 01204 3688 Email: ace2@bolton.ac.uk
Fionnuala Geoghegan Senior Lecturer in Sport Rehabilitation Manager of Sports and Spinal Injuries Clinic Room: 003-01-019 Tel: 01204 3614/3680 Email: fjg1@bolton.ac.uk
Andy Schofield Senior Lecturer in Sport Rehabilitation Room: 003-01-019 Tel: 01204 3619 Email: aps1@bolton.ac.uk
Adam Naylor Lecturer Sport Rehabilitation Room: 003-01-003
Sport Rehabilitation at Bolton is a wonderful course. The Lecturers present and teach the lectures in a way that has you understanding what is covered, and we get great information and skills from all the lecturers as they are all still practicing while teaching.
Tel: 01204 3664 Email: asn1@bolton.ac.uk
Jayne Carter Part-time lecturer Sport Rehabilitation Room: 003-01-003
Gelana Crouch, studying level 3 in 2012/13
Tel: 01204 3688 Email: jc22@bolton.ac.uk
Zen Omar Part-time lecturer Sport Rehabilitation Room: 003-01-003 Tel: 01204 3688 Email: zo1@bolton.ac.uk
Applications
My best memory from the course so far, and there are so many, but this one had to be travelling with Leigh Centurions RFLC to an away game on the players’ coach and on arrival going straight in to getting the players ready for a game in less than 30 minutes - talk about a learning curve! Ivor Irwin, studying level 3 in 2012/13
Applications are welcome via traditional UCAS routes, or direct application for nontraditional or mature students.
The University of Bolton Deane Road, Bolton Lancashire, BL3 5AB Tel: 01204 900300 Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Why this Undergraduate programme? Accredited by the British Association of Sport Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT), upon degree completion, graduates become eligible for a full practicing membership of BASRaT, which includes professional indemnity insurance, and the opportunity to join a rapidly advancing governing body in its professional standing in the sports medicine industry. We are only one of five institutions in the UK offering the accredited BASRaT Sport Rehabilitation programme.
You are guided and taught by currently practicing clinicians, who are active in current research in the Sport Rehabilitation field. All your teaching staff have collective extensive experience across professional football, rugby league and rugby union, the NHS and private practice.
Clinical work experience and voluntary opportunities
University of Bolton, Deane Road, Bolton, BL3 5AB Tel: +44 (0)1204 900600 Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk