Unit Outline

You will build on the foundational knowledge and skills introduced in units CXA751 Fundamentals of Physiotherapy and CXA752 Physiotherapy Foundations Practice, and continue to focus on key principles of professional practice, structured around the threshold concept. These principles encompass the application of clinical reasoning and decision-making models, the biopsychosocial model, person-centered practice, evidence-based practice, reflective practice, critical thinking, and interprofessional collaboration and communication. You are expected to synthesize and apply new knowledge and skills in response to clients with clinical neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. This knowledge is integrated into relevant physiotherapy practice models and frameworks, aligning with the fundamental principles of physiotherapy assessment and treatment.

You will develop specific physiotherapy clinical knowledge and skills pertaining to the analysis of etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and the common conservative and surgical management of common neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. Practical psycho-motor skills related to standard subjective and objective assessments are developed and practiced in simulated settings.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Analyse the etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and conservative and surgical management for common neuro-musculoskeletal disorders.
2	Apply anatomy and physiology knowledge, to relevant neuro-musculoskeletal conditions and their radiological presentation.
3	Perform safe, effective physiotherapy assessment, outcome measurement, and treatment procedures specific to common neuro-musculoskeletal disorders.
4	Interpret neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction in relation to underlying impairments and use structured clinical reasoning processes to plan and implement evidence-based physiotherapy interventions.
5	Apply research methodology and evidence-based practice skills to appraise and synthesise research evidence specific to assessment and/or treatments of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions and relate it to attributes of life-long learning and ongoing professional development.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	CXA751 Fundamentals of Physiotherapy CXA752 Foundations of Physiotherapy Practice

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Four Quizzes	Week 3	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Oral Presentation: Appraising the Quality of Research Evidence	Week 7	20 %	LO5
Assessment Task 3:	OSCE - Physiotherapy Skill Performance	Week 9	0 %	LO1, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 4:	Applied Clinical Reasoning and Designing Impairment-Based Physiotherapy Treatment and Interventions	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Four Quizzes

Task Description:

Four Quizzes – These multiple-choice quizzes assess the knowledge related to applied musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology, analysis of clinical and radiological presentation, assessment procedures, diagnostic criteria, physiotherapy management of common neuro-musculoskeletal conditions.

Task Length:

30 minutes each quiz

Due Date:

Week 3

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify epidemiology, aetiology, clinical and radiological presentations, common conservative and surgical management of the common neuro-musculoskeletal conditions, and their implication for physiotherapy practice.	LO1, LO2
2	Identify features of the neuro-musculoskeletal system structure and function relevant to the neuro-musculoskeletal conditions and their presentation in medical imaging.	LO2, LO4
3	Identify the appropriate components, procedures, and interpretation of assessments to use for people with common neuro-musculoskeletal conditions.	LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment Task 2: Oral Presentation: Appraising the Quality of Research Evidence

Task Description:

This presentation assessment task requires you to present a critical evidence review of an original clinical diagnostic research article in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy.

Your unit coordinator will assign you a specific topic. You are required to deliver this presentation and answer questions. Refer to assignment instructions for more details.

Task Length:

Up to 15 minutes presentation time, and up to 5 minutes QA time (20 min/presentation)

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Apply evidence-based practice skills to critically review the research findings presented in the article.	LO5
2	Effectively communicate the objective of the presentation, with a comprehensive summary of original diagnostic research article.	LO5
3	Demonstrate fluent language and time management skills with clear and well-structured communication and analyse and responds to questions confidently and accurately with openness to constructive feedback.	LO5

Assessment Task 3: OSCE - Physiotherapy Skill Performance

Task Description:

This assessment evaluates your skills and ability to meet the participation requirements for your musculoskeletal physiotherapy practice clinical placement. These requirements are based on professional standards, course accreditation requirements, and the Mandatory Functional Requirements of the College of Health and Medicine.
You must pass this hurdle task to begin your Musculoskeletal PEP.

Task Length:

30 minutes

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Select and justify appropriate examination and treatment techniques for a condition using clinical reasoning.	LO1, LO4, LO5
2	Demonstrate effective and safe performance of examination and treatment techniques.	LO3
3	Interpret examination and treatment outcome findings appropriately and reason the progression of treatment.	LO1, LO3, LO4
4	Communicate effectively.	LO3, LO5

Assessment Task 4: Applied Clinical Reasoning and Designing Impairment-Based Physiotherapy Treatment and Interventions

Task Description:

You are required to employ a systematic clinical reasoning approach to analyse a neuro musculoskeletal condition case study and design an impairment based physiotherapy assessment and intervention plan, supported by evidence based justification and relevant outcome measures. Your analysis should clearly distinguish the etiological mechanisms, pathoanatomy, pathophysiology, and the specific neuro musculoskeletal impairments responsible for the unique clinical presentations observed in the case study. Your evidence based physiotherapy treatments and interventions should be integrated and effectively demonstrate patient centred care, with short and long term goals. Your intervention plan must also include specific interdisciplinary referrals, with clear justification explaining how each referral will assist in managing potential confounding factors that may influence physiotherapy assessment, treatment, and intervention outcomes.

Refer to assignment instructions for more details.

Task Length:

3000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and justify the types of lesions and severity of the conditions associated with the case studies, with differential clinical presentation.	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Interpret clinical presentations that are associated with red flags, side effects of the medications, and/or complications of the surgical management.	LO1, LO3
3	Demonstrate client-centered practice skills in evidence-based physiotherapy treatment and intervention plan and prescription.	LO3, LO4, LO5
4	Interpret underlying mechanisms of neuro-musculoskeletal impairments and use clinical reasoning to identify and modify the implementation of evidence-based physiotherapy treatment and interventions.	LO4, LO5
5	Identify and discuss the clinical presentation that requires interdisciplinary referrals to exclude and/or address the potential confounding problems for physiotherapy treatment and interventions.	LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

You will be able to access the topic-specific reading links embedded into MyLO – this will include mandatory reading to complete related activities on each topic, as well as optional reading lists.

Recommended reading materials

You will have access to the following books that might be useful to expand your knowledge and understanding of the content of this unit. These textbooks are available for a limited loan period from the University Library collections.
•   David, M., James, Z., William, Q., Robert, M., 2016. Pathology and Intervention in Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. 2nd Ed. Elsevier.
•   Elly H. and Kevin A., 2013. Maitland’s Vertebral Manipulations. Management of Musculoskeletal disorders – Vol 1. 5th Ed. Elsevier.
•   Elly H. and Kevin A., 2013. Maitland’s Peripheral Manipulations. Management of Musculoskeletal disorders – Vol 2. 5th Ed. Elsevier.
•   Jull, G., Moore, A., Falla, D., Lewis, J., McCarthy, C. and Sterling, M., 2015. Grieve's Modern Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, 4th edition. Elsevier.
•   David, M. and Robert, M., 2018. Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 7th Ed. Elsevier.
•   Brukner, P., Clarsen, B., Cook, J., Cools, A., Crossley, K., Hutchinson, M., McCrory, P., Bhar, R. and Khan, K., 2017. Brukner & Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine: Injuries, Volume 1. 5th Ed. McGraw Hill.
•   Biel, A. and Dorn, R., 2014. Trail guide to the body: How to locate muscles, bones, and more, 5th Ed. Andrew Biel.
•   Butler, D.S. and Moseley, G.L., 2013. Explain Pain. 2nd Ed. Noigroup publications.
•   Kisner, C., Colby, L. and Borstad, JC., 2018. Therapeutic Exercise: Foundation and Techniques. 7th Ed. McGraw Hill.
•   Kim D. and Amy K.S., 2018. Therapeutic Exercise Prescription. 1st Ed. Elsevier.
•   Kate Woolf-May., 2006. Exercise Prescription – The Physiological Foundation: A guide for health, sports and exercise professionals. 1st Ed. Elsevier.
•   John, D., Stanley, M., Erwin, G., 2013. The Physiological Basis of Rehabilitation Medicine. 2nd Ed. Butterworth-Heinemann.

• Leon, C. and Judith, D., 2011. Clinical Application of Neuromuscular Techniques: Volume 2 The Lower Body, 2nd Ed. Churchill Livingstone. Elsevier.

• Thuy, B. and Clint, B. Length, Strength, and Kinesio Tape., 2016. Muscle testing and Taping interventions, 1st Ed. Elsevier.

• Tim Watson., 2008. Electrotherapy: Evidence based practice. 12th Ed. Churchill Livingstone. Elsevier

Other required resources

UTAS students are eligible to use Office 365 free of charge. It is a software package built around the Microsoft Office platform that includes Outlook (email and calendars), Word (word processor), Excel (spreadsheet), and PowerPoint (presentation). These are available on and off campus. For further information and instructions to install Office 365 on your desktop and/or mobile device, please visit http://www.utas.edu.au/students/starting-uni/first-steps/prepare
Zoom is available for video conference. Visit https://www.utas.edu.au/zoom/getting-started to find tutorials and help getting started