Injury Risk Management and Return to Sport, 7.5 credits
Contents
This course focuses on two primary areas; injury risk management and the process of returning to sport following injury or sport-related health conditions. In this course, injury risk management is defined as a systematic process for identifying, analyzing, and managing risk factors for injury or sport-related health problems. It explores the complex challenges faced by athletes in balancing optimal performance development with the risk of sport-related health issues such as overtraining syndrome, overuse injuries, and acute traumatic injuries.
The course provides a comprehensive overview of the transition from diagnosis to a safe and appropriate return to play or competition. Emphasis is placed on contextual factors, including variations across different types of sports, age groups, and gender. A strong multidisciplinary perspective is embedded throughout the course, highlighting collaboration between professionals such as strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, physicians, and rehabilitation coordinators.
This course is particularly relevant for those currently working, or intending to work, in roles related to athletic performance, injury risk management or rehabilitation within a sports context.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding:
1. Describe strategies to mitigate the risk of sports-related health issues among athletes.
2. Identify and interpret clinical indicators of common overtraining syndromes, overuse injuries, and acute traumatic injuries in athletic populations.
3. Describe the rehabilitation process from the diagnosis of a sports injury or overtraining syndrome to a medically and functionally appropriate return to sport or competition.
Skills and ability:
4. Design and communicate evidence-based strategies for injury risk management in sport contexts.
5. Design and communicate evidence-based strategies aimed at facilitating safe return to sport.
Judgement and approach:
6. Apply injury risk management and return-to-sport strategies from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Required Knowledge
A Bachelor's degree that includes at least 180 credits or equivalent foreign degree. At least 90 credits are required in either exercise physiology/sports medicine/medicine or physiotherapy, or a degree from the Biomedical Scientist programme with specialisation Clinical Physiology, or a degree in Sports Science, of which at least 30 credits must be within the areas of exercise physiology, sports medicine, or medicine. In addition, English 6 is required.
Form of instruction
The course is taught in English but may be conducted in Swedish if all participants are native Swedish speakers. Teaching is delivered through a combination of digital and on-campus sessions, including lectures and seminars. On-campus meetings at Umeå University focus primarily on practical learning activities such as group-based learning and assessed seminars. Campus-based sessions may occasionally be scheduled on weekends.
Examination modes
Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 6 are assessed through a written group assignment with individual evaluation and graded as Pass with Distinction, Pass, or Fail.
Learning Outcomes 3,4 and 5 are assessed through an oral seminar with individual evalutaion and graded as Pass or Fail.
To achieve an overall grade of Pass, a minimum of Pass is required on all assessment components. To obtain Pass with Distinction, a grade of Pass with Distinction is also required on the written assignment.
Examiners may decide to deviate from the modes of assessment in the course syllabus. Individual adaptation of modes of assessment must give due consideration to the student’s needs. The adaptation of modes of assessment must remain within the framework of the intended learning outcomes in the course syllabus. Students who require an adapted examination – and have received a decision on the right to support from the coordinator at the Student Services Office for students with disabilities – must submit a request to the department holding the course no later than 10 workingdays before the examination. The examiner decides on the adaptation of the examination, after which the student will be notified.
Other regulations
If the course has expired or the syllabus has undergone significant changes, exams/retake exams based on the same syllabus as the original exam are guaranteed for 2 years after the student's initial registration for the course.