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Sports Physiotherapy
in Australia
Unlike a decade ago, there are many opportunities
for post-graduate study in Sports Physiotherapy today. There
are far more graduate programs available and courses may vary
greatly in structure and focus. These programs provide a flexible
and accessible mode of graduate education for physiotherapists
with a wide variety of clinical speciality interests.
 So,
given all these options, how should you choose a course? Perhaps
the first decision you should make is why you want to study.
There are many reasons why physiotherapists choose to undertake
post-graduate studies. Many will say that they feel a personal
need for further knowledge acquisition in their particular
field of practice. Others say they have a particular clinical
question they want to investigate and some say they believe
that a post-graduate qualification is necessary in order to
secure employment or to achieve the promotion they seek.
If you see yourself primarily as a clinician, then course
work Masters and Postgraduate Diploma programs are probably
the most relevant. As well as theoretical and practical units,
which improve your knowledge base in your chosen discipline,
these degree/diplomas usually include units in research methods
and opportunities for project work.
Master of Sports Physiotherapy
With the recent Olympic Games steering us beyond our new
millennium, physiotherapists need the competitive edge in
injury management and performance enhancement when treating
the elite athlete. Physiotherapy schools, such as Curtin University,
School of Physiotherapy, may offer the Master of Sports Physiotherapy,
embracing the latest scientific evidence-based clinical practice,
the most update assessment, treatment and rehabilitation in
athletic injury prevention, upper limb, lower quadrant and
spinal injuries.
Programs usually have a well balanced structure to give students
a good knowledge of clinical practice, assessment and treatment.
As an example, the Master of Sports Physiotherapy at Curtin
University is split into supervised clinical practice and
clinical advanced level of assessment and treatment in sports
manual therapy.
During the supervised clinical practice section of the program,
students are supervised by experienced clinicians, all of
whom have postgraduate qualifications in Sports Physiotherapy.
There are five different clinical placements which are located
at sports injury clinics and teaching hospitals. Students
are personally supervised in their assessment, treatment and
rehabilitation of sports injury problems. At the end of each
4 week clinical block, students are assessed and given detailed
feedback.
The clinical advanced level of assessment and treatment in
sports and manual therapy begins by covering a diverse range
of manual therapy approaches that are used for spinal and
peripheral joints such as the foot, ankle, knee and shoulder.
Later the course looks at the vertebral spine including the
cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine, ribs and sacroiliac joints.
In both areas, mobilisation and manipulation techniques are
taught.
Other aspects of sports physiotherapy covered might include
muscle imbalance, deep dynamic myofascial techniques, trigger
points, soft tissue and sports massage, sports taping and
therapeutic taping techniques, stretching and exercise regimens.
At Curtin, there is also the opportunity to attend surgery
related to sports problems which expands students' appreciation
of the clinical implications in devising specific treatment
and rehabilitation programs.
Employment Opportunities
Currently there is a demand for postgraduate trained Sports
Physiotherapists and students that have taken courses that
have a holistic musculoskeletal approach to work in diverse
areas of clinical practice. For example, many graduates of
Curtin University's school of Physiotherapy hold key positions
in Sports Medicine/Physiotherapy both overseas, interstate
and locally, and have represented their countries at world
championships and the Olympic Games.
When it comes to making your final decision on where to study,
there is no substitute for information. Write, email, fax
or call the relevant institutions and ask for information.
Find out which courses are available, when they start, how
long they take, how many contact hours are required, and whether
both part-time and full-time courses are available. Don't
forget to ask about costs - the courses cost money, so be
prepared. Talk to colleagues who have done or are doing the
course and find out how much work is involved and whether
the pain is worth the gain. It is worth remembering that all
post-graduate courses require a commitment, and in order to
actually complete the course, and enjoy it in the process,
you may need to reduce your hours of paid employment.
With thanks to
Curtin University, School of Physiotherapy
The Australian Physiotherapy Association
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