Master of Sports Physical Therapy

Masters in Sports Physical Therapy are distinguished by their in-depth knowledge of anatomy, kinematics, pathology, exercise science and physiological recovery processes and their impact on choices made in sports rehabilitation. They excel in informed clinical reasoning, sports-specific movement analysis and the development of innovative sports rehabilitation in which the integration of domain-specific concepts, such as motor learning, strength and flexibility, among others, are characteristic.

“You learn to justify and substantiate your own choices. Among other things, you train this together with your fellow students in smaller working groups. You try to arrive at new insights together, thus acquiring and sharing knowledge with the entire group, using practical examples such as cases involving muscle injuries, cartilage injuries and specific sports injuries.”

Huub Habets, Master Sports Physical Therapy alumnus

Training in Brief

Name: master sports physical therapy
Target audience: physical therapists
Duration: 3 years*
Variant: Part-time
Degree: master of science (MSc)
Location: Amersfoort

* More information on the accelerated track will follow a.s.a.p.

Field of work of a sports physical therapist

Sports physical therapy is a recognized specialty within physical therapy in which curative, preventive and performance-enhancing care is provided, from grassroots sports to elite sports. Among the core tasks of the sports physiotherapist are the specific screening and diagnosis of a variety of sports injuries, as well as the appropriate use of diagnostic tools and performance testing. This involves constant use of the integration of advanced qualitative and quantitative sport-specific movement analysis. Another important component is the preparation of specialized treatment for athletes, taking into account personal circumstances such as deadlines, stress and societal conditions such as pressure from trainers or parents.

Knowledge of treatment techniques and their influence on pathophysiological and exercise physiological levels are indispensable where knowledge of concepts such as flexibility, strength and coordination are integrated into clinical reasoning. Evidence-Based Practice and the psychometric properties of performance tests are integrated into sports-related case studies. During the course, therapy is taught to be framed within the Sports Injury Risk Model (IRM).

Athletes are additionally not only treated in practice, but as a sports physical therapist, you will also accompany the athlete within a training or competition situation working with the trainer or others involved in order to bring the athlete back to the original level of performance.

Choice of four pathways

Regular master's program in 3 years

As a general physical therapist with a bachelor’s degree, you will take a regular three-year master’s program at SOMT University of Physiotherapy. The three-year master’s program in Sports Physiotherapy starts in September.

Regular master's program in 2.5 years

Can you handle a higher course load? Then you can also complete the full master’s in Sports Physical Therapy in 2.5 years. The total study load and quality is equal to that of the three-year program. Through efficient, hybrid education with a lot of personal guidance, we have developed an ambitious but studyable program for you.

You simply start at the same time as the 3-year apprenticeship program; by September. Once you have started the program you will make an appointment with the head of training to discuss your ambitious learning path.

Regular master's program in sports physical therapy for manual therapists

As a Master Manual Therapist, after completing the Sports Physical Therapy program, you will be able to integrate all your skills into sports-related contexts, making you the musculoskeletal specialist of choice.

As a Master Manual Therapist you already possess a number of competencies related to arthrogenic techniques and can be exempted from the teaching groups and working groups concerning manual diagnostic and therapeutic skills on the spine and extremities. As a Master Manual Therapist, after completing the Master Sports Physiotherapy program at SOMT University of Physiotherapy, you will be able to integrate all of your skills into sports-related contexts and thus become THE musculoskeletal specialist par excellence. Any exemptions will be discussed in advance.

Accelerated track in two years

More information to follow.

Study days and study load

The course is a part-time program. It is taught in three teaching blocks per year. Each teaching block comprises 6 days (Monday to Saturday) from 09.00 to 17.00 in Amersfoort. In addition, you follow a number of internship days. The contact days can be found on the right side of this page under the heading “Details”.

For the 3-year program, the study load is 12 to 16 hours per week, excluding internship. The program comprises a total of 90 credits (EC).

“After a week of study, it is nice that you go back to work and then you have 6 weeks to integrate what you have learned into practice.” Kevin van Geel, second-year Master Sports Physical Therapy student

Admission

Admission to the Sports Physiotherapy Master’s program is possible with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy recognized by the Dutch government and BIG registration. It is desirable to be employed in practice, as the case histories used in the teaching sessions have a continuous interaction with professional practice.

Training content

The three-year curriculum of the Master of Sports Physical Therapy consists of nine modules, each built around a specific region. Three modules are offered per academic year in which each sport-specific, content-based line of study is addressed. Throughout the modules and curriculum, there is an increasing complexity of subject matter and/or case histories. Within the modules, coherence between all learning lines is promoted through the content of “performance-driven casuistry,” which are developed around the relevant region of the module. In the final year, the concepts from previous modules are integrated within evidence-based clinical reasoning and qualitative and quantitative movement analysis where teaching in the Evidence-Based Practice learning line connects the specific context to an increasingly complex level of clinical reasoning. During the modules you come into contact with the various competency domains identified in the Professional Competency Profile of the Dutch Association for Physical Therapy in Sports Medicine (NVFS).

Details

Study load: 13-16h (per week)
Credits: 90 ECTS
Level: EKK 7
Accreditation: NVAO
KRF NL registration: Yes
Language: Dutch **
Start of study: September

Starts September 2024 | 3-year program

Registration closed

** = English-language scientific literature

Teachers

SOMT University of Physiotherapy invests in highly qualified supervision. The lectures “Sports Traumatology and Orthopedics” are taught by orthopedists who specialize a specific body region and have didactic experience including Dr. M. van den Bekerom (shoulder), Dr. Y. Engelsma (knee), Dr. T. Piscaer (hip/loss), Dr. M. van den Bekerom (elbow), Dr. M. Obdeijn (wrist/hand), Dr. M. Vanderberghe (ankle/foot).
Experts in other fields are also invited. Exercise physiology, for example, is taught by Prof. Dr. K. De Pauw (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). Dr. K. Kuppens (President of the Shoulder Network Flanders) teaches diagnostics of shoulder-related disorders, evaluation and treatment of scapulothoracic rhythms. Prof. Dr. J. Verschueren (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) teaches “Sport and pain” and “energy systems and periodization.

Diagnostic and mobilization skills are provided by both a Master of Science in Sports Physical Therapy and a teacher from the Master of Manual Therapy at SOMT University of Physiotherapy. Sports-specific rehabilitation training is provided by top-level trainers and sports physiotherapists in a specific sports discipline. The link with daily practice is important which adds value to the practical experience of the experts. Sports clinics are organized in sport-specific settings, such as Handball (D. den Hartog and L. Groenen), Football (T. Janssen), Basketball (M. Lips and R. van Waes) and Swimming (K. Kuppens). Lessons are also taught at CrossFit Amersfoort, including strength and coordination training and rehabilitation training. The lessons about ‘running technique and agility’ (R. Ummels, Atletiekunie) you follow in the athletics hall Galgenwaard Utrecht or on the athletics track in Amersfoort.

“What I find strong about the training is that in addition to the teachers from SOMT University of Physiotherapy, medical experts (e.g., orthopedists, medical specialists, psychologists, (strength) trainers, running trainers) share in-depth information from their daily practice through lectures. Among others, I find the lectures on Sports Traumatology (which recur per body region), Strength Training and Coordination, Running Analysis and Biomechanics very instructive. In addition, the theory and practical lectures on diagnostics, Evidence Based Practice, sport-specific analysis and movement analysis, motor learning, (strength) training and coordination and applying them really helped me to make the translation from theory to practice.” Huub Habets, alumni master Sports Physical Therapy

Clinical practice

In teaching, casuistry is guiding. That is, each assignment begins with a recognizable case from everyday practice. The subject matter is thus immediately linked to practice. Relevant casuistry can be introduced by the teachers but often you will bring in a case from your own practice.

Review

The competencies that are developed during training are focused on professional practice. Testing is therefore mainly practice-related. Through preparatory and processing assignments, class weeks and (knowledge) tests, the development of these competencies is encouraged. The clinical competencies are tested during an internship of six days in a sport physiotherapy practice under the supervision of teachers affiliated with SOMT University of Physiotherapy and in a test concerning sport-specific performance casuistry. For scientific skills you will participate in the design and implementation of a scientific research project. You will participate in multi-year research on Return to Performance. In this, the results and conclusions must be articulated in writing in an academic manner and discussed in a critical manner. By creating Critically Appraised Topics (CAT), the basis for informed and advanced specialist clinical reasoning is developed on the basis of clinical questions from practice.

Internship

An important part of the Master Sports Physical Therapy program is the various internships. Three internships are completed in the program: two days of internship in a Sports Medical Advisory Center (SMA), three mini-clinics and six days of internship in a sports physical therapy practice.

Studying with the DUO Lifelong Learning Credit

Do you want to study with us and are you younger than 56? If you are not entitled (anymore) to regular study financing, you can sometimes still borrow money to pay tuition or fees.

With the DUOL lifetime learning credit, everyone can continue to develop.

The amount of lifelong learning credit depends on the amount of tuition or fees. For more information and applications, go to duo.nl/ levenlanglerenkrediet.

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