Sports physiotherapy is one globally recognised field of physiotherapy, where physiotherapists specialising in the theme work with athletes at different levels. Sports physiotherapy has been developed for half a century, but especially in the last ten years, the field has taken great strides. A clear sign of this is, for example, the increase in specialisation studies in sports physiotherapy, as well as higher university studies in the subject.
The competencies required for sports physiotherapy were originally defined in the early 2000s and based on them, comprehensive training offerings were built to meet the needs. However, the development of physiotherapy, sports and sports physiotherapy, increased research data and changed operating environments require updating the competence descriptions. The aim of updating competences is also to support the development of the quality of education in the field.
"The Erasmus+ funded Higher education to improve competency in Sports Physiotherapy (SportsComp) project updates and modernises sports physiotherapy competences. The international SportsComp project is implemented in cooperation with five different partners, four of which are European higher education institutions (Jyväskylän University of Applied Sciences Jamk, Tartu Ulikool from Estonia, Vrije Universiteit Brussel from Belgium, Panepistimio Thessalias from Greece) and one from the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT). Jamk's project is implemented by the Rehabilitation Institute. During the project, three English-language digital courses utilising modern pedagogy will also be formed to correspond to master's level competences," says Sanna Sihvonen , co-project manager of the SportsComp project.
International competence updating and competence implementation
As a result of the project, sports physiotherapy competencies will be updated globally and implemented in fieldwork as part of international activities.
'Three five-credit sports physiotherapy study modules will be built for operators in the field, which will make it possible to increase university-level competence in the field of sports physiotherapy. In addition to course development, the project will also produce a teacher's handbook to support the implementation of courses as part of higher education curricula," says Armi Hirvonen , another project manager of the SportsComp project.
The implementation period of the project is 1.9.2023-31.8.2026. More information about the project and its actions can be found on the project's website via this link and on the project's social media channels: LinkedIn and Facebook.
