Corrective Exercise Prescription and Injury Management

Injuries are the unwanted side effects of active engagement in sport and physical activity. Exercise professionals often witness injuries first-hand and are frequently responsible for initial injury management until professional help (e.g., sports medicine physicians, accredited exercise physiologists, and physiotherapists) is sought when major injuries occur or for the ongoing management of minor injuries. In contrast with the typical treatment model of rehabilitation after injury, it is well known that “prevention is better than cure”. Too often injury prevention is neglected, as the focus is on post-injury rehabilitation. In this respect, exercise professionals should possess an evidence-based approach to address neuromuscular dysfunction in apparently healthy clients/athletes via corrective exercise training consisting of preventative measures (“pre-habilitation”) to reduce the likelihood of injury and promote a safe and sound return to exercise, physical activity or sport participation if an injury does occur.



Please Note: It is a requirement that students possess current First Aid and CPR certification from a recognised provider (e.g., St John's Ambulance, Lifesaving Victoria, Red Cross) prior to enrolling in this Unit.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Investigate common injuries that occur in sport and with physical activity, and conceptually map the initial and ongoing management of these injuries;
2. Rationalise and implement understanding of the role and scope of practice of the exercise professional in the prevention and management of a diverse range of sport- and physical activity-acquired injuries;
3. Conduct a diverse range of musculoskeletal screening methods to identify movement deficiencies and derive corrective exercise prescription for apparently healthy clients;
4. Critically review the evidence-base, and contextualise the current best practice, of recovery strategies for physical activity-acquired injury management and prevention.