A 45 year old triathlete present to you with recurrent hamstring rupture. Although rehabilitation is going well, he has lost considerable weight in the past months and he increasingly fears that he can no longer do races anymore at international national level. Do you know how to provide the best guidance for this patient to achieve return to sport? And is the hamstring rupture the problem or just a signal of something else?

Perhaps your first thought is about improving range of motion and strengthening the leg muscles or maybe you want to look up rehabilitation phases in a specific guideline. Return to play and endurance training are central topics of this minor. Return to play is a much larger issue that reaches beyond the usual domains of physical therapy such as muscle strength and range of motion. That is exactly what characterizes this minor, not necessarily the subjects expected from outpatient physiotherapy (orthopedics, muscle strength in sports injuries and so on) but much more the broader view with attention to sports sciences such as exercise physiology, sport psychology, sport motion analysis, and field work that supports your development as a critical and more scholarly professional (e.g. the practitioner-scientist).

THE PROGRAM
The minor is organized around three main modules. In time, the semester is divided into three different blocks, each lasting six weeks.

Hereafter you find an overview of main topics/sub courses per module. 

Theory Lab

• Applied Sport Biomechanics (block 1)
• Exercise Physiology (block 1,2 & 3)
• Sport Psychology (block 1,2 & 3)

Practical Lab

• Sports Clinics
• Sports Motion Analysis.
• Sport Specific Orthopedic Diagnostics & Training
• Performance Testing and Monitoring of Athletes

Field Lab

• Case Study
• Prevention Project
• Introduction to qualitative and quantitative field research.

Examination & credits

Each module has a study load of 10 EC. For the theory lab, you have three (digital) knowledge exams, which means you have an exam every six weeks. So it is important (and advisable) to stay on top of class preparations. For the practical lab and field lab you have specific assignments in which you have to show you master the content. For example you will carry out a case study with respect to return to sports of an athlete, do a prevention project for a local sports association and learn to gather and analyze sports related data with performance testing. 

IS THIS THE RIGHT MINOR FOR YOU?
This minor is only suitable for Physiotherapy and Exercise Therapy students. Besides orthopedic diagnostics, we also dive deep into exercsie physiology, endurance testing and training. You will learn to analyze VO2max tests, the value of lactate determination and concepts like critical speed. We expect a high level of self-study and an proactive and professional attitude. The aim is to introduce you to a wide range of topics so that you can choose later what you might want to study in more depth. That is why the number of topics and the amount of literature is large.

Please note: 

• If you do not have a background in performing orthopedic diagnostic tests, this minor will not be eligible for you.
• Doing a case study on an athlete means it is possible you have to attend in the evening hours or in the weekend! 

In summary we expect:

• Professional attitude that fits the athletic environment 
• Affinity with sports and exercise on both recreational as professional level
• Affinity with applied science and ambition to excel in operational performance
• You can and will study yourself and are independent because a lot of self-study is part of the minor
• Average proficiency of the English language IELTS 6 or higher (for semester 1 only)

Video: International Minor Sports Physical Therapy - HvA

The main learning objectives of this minor are: 

• Knowledge and understanding of physical and mental athletic performance requirements.  
• Knowledge of sports-related health issues and diagnostics.
• Learn to assess and monitor both athletes' physical and mental performance.
• Develop skills in laboratory and field testing and data collection.
• Transfer knowledge and skills about sports physical therapy and related topics to athletes, fellow therapists or coaches.
• Learn more about special topics such as overtraining, energy balance or the role of psychological skills training.
• Develop practical qualitative (case study) and quantitative (data collection and analysis) research skills and attitudes at an introductory level.

The admission criteria for this minor are:

• Propaedeutic certificate (60 ECTS for AUAS students)
• 40 ECTS from second or third year (AUAS students).
• Physiotherapy  or Exercise Therapy as educational 
  background only        

• Final check and approval by the coordinator is mandatory
  for registration.

Students must meet the minimum requirement for study points and have received permission from their own school to attend the minor.

Books:

• Clinical Sports Medicine 5th Edition (Peter Bruckner, Ben Clarsen, Ann Cools, Kay Crossley, Mark Hutchinson, Paul Mc Crory Roald Bahr and Karim Khan) This book is available via the Library.  
• Advanced Exercise Physiology: Essential Concepts an Applications 1th Edition ( Jonathan K. Ehrman, Dennis J Kerrigan, Steven J. Keteyan)
• Foundations of Sport Psychology 7th Edition (Robert S. Weinberg and Daniel Gould).
• Applied Sport Mechanics.  4th Edition Brendan Burkett).

Classes are from Monday to Friday. The timetable per week can differ.

Mandatory activities:

• Sports clinics are mandatory. There are approximately 6 sports clinics * that can last from 1 to 3 hours. Start times of the sports clinics can vary from early in the morning, mid-day to the end of the day.
• Data gathering days (for example KNSB) are mandatory, these days can be organised on weekdays or in the weekend and times can vary from early in the morning, mid-day to the end of the day. Also locations can vary.

* Definitive number will be communicated at the start of the minor. 

Contacttijd:
15-19 hours hours a week

This minor consist of the following course components, their corresponding EC and type of exams:

Module: ECExamination:Theory Lab  10Three digital knowledge exams (KE-1, KE-2, KE-3) with a mix of multiple choice and other type of questions)Practical Lab10Three Professional products for Sports Motion Analysis
- Biomechanical poster
- Video sport skill analysis (yourself)
- Video coaching and correcting sport motion error
  (someone else)

Proof of competence for
- Orthopedic diagnostics & training
- Performance testingField Lab 10Case report (article
  format) and reflective report for the case study  

Professional products for Prevention Project. 

Professional products plus data set for Applied Research Methods.

Each exam can be taken twice during the period the minor runs. This means means you have a take and a retake within the minor. If you fail a retake, you can take that exam again next school year. Please note: you only have to retake the exam you failed (so you don't have to redo the entire minor).You can retake the exams, assignments or portfolio proof only under the same conditions in the following year after you followed the minor. After one year, this right expires and you will have to do your under the then current conditions.

If a student fails to successfully complete the minor in the period in which she took the minor it is possible to finalize the minor in a following period in which the minor is given.

If a minor is no longer offered or in case the minor is rewritten, the degree programme will offer students a further two opportunities to finalize this minor in the following year.

Questions about the minor?
Contact Ferdinand de Haan or Ted Ronteltap: imspt@hva.nl or f.h.de.haan@hva.nl or t.ronteltap@hva.nl 

Questions about the Kies op Maat procedure?
Contact Niermela Chote-sobha, n.chote-sobha@hva.nl

Additional costs for this minor are:

• Books approximately € 100,-

Read more: Flyer International Minor Sports Physical Therapy

Please note:
Semester 1 the official language is English
Semester 2 the official language is Dutch, however all materials, the knowledge exams and the case report are in English.

Contact hours: 15-19 hours a week

Applications will be processed in the order of receipt of signed learning agreements