Course overview

Rehabilitation and Exercise Science at Keele explores themes such as injury prevention, rehabilitation and the promotion of physical activity. All of these are aligned to an expanding range of sectors such as health and social care, and sport. Our innovative programme prepares you for an exciting and flexible career focusing on both health and rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation professionals are experts in utilising a range of methods to promote, restore and preserve the physical and psychological wellbeing of individuals of all ages. Our aim is for you to thrive in a rapidly changing and sometimes uncertain external environment and to give professional care with empathy and respect for others. You will explore the factors that influence managing rehabilitation and advance your problem-solving techniques, communication, and interpersonal skills.

As well as giving you the essential clinical expertise we also incorporate business skills into our curriculum to further enhance your career opportunities. For example, you may have future ambitions to be your own boss and we currently deliver a module that focuses on how to set up and market your own business.

Rehabilitation themes

You will study a wide range of rehabilitation themes including human anatomy and how it changes throughout someone’s life, physiology, the science behind movement, and human neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. Different forms of disability are also studied and analysed along with disabling conditions aligned to areas such as cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, metabolic, and neurological. You will explore the full range of demographics including the elderly and children, not just individuals involved in sport related activity.

The course enables you to develop your practical handling and the therapeutic skills that underpin physiotherapy assessment and management. You will learn contemporary concepts and issues around global health and wellbeing and their impact on healthcare economies.

As you progress through the course you will enhance your understanding of rehabilitation strategies and look at increasing your organisational and management skills. There are opportunities to focus on sport rehabilitation and to understand the different techniques used in this area along with the prevention and management of sports injuries. You can also deepen your knowledge around health behaviour change and the prescription of physical activity in specialist areas like cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.

The course draws on knowledge from other areas including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medicine, nursing, psychology, nutrition, and public health.

You will benefit from inter-professional education, drawing upon areas such as physiotherapy, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology, nutrition and public health.

Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Clinic

Our on campus clinic offers opportunities for you to gain experience of engaging with patients, enhance your rehabilitation skills and improve your communication skills. The clinic offers ‘hands on’ treatments for a wide range of common musculoskeletal injuries. You will have opportunities to be involved with leading rehabilitation sessions on members of the public once your gym qualifications have been achieved. There will also be the possibility to conduct massage on patients should you attain the relevant qualification.

Scientific research

Embedded into the course is the importance of scientific research evidence. You will develop your awareness of how this research contributes to the general health and wellbeing of individuals, including in the management of global conditions including coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Our expertise

A team of highly qualified and knowledgeable academic staff teach on this course, some of who are recognised nationally and internationally as experts in their fields, including Professor John Buckley, Advisor to WHO prehab 2020 for Ischaemic Heart Disease and Dr Dale Cooper who coordinated the British Olympic Associations Olympian study.

Student support

You will be supported through every stage of your studies on the rehabilitation science and exercise course. You will be allocated an academic mentor tutor who will be your first point of contact for advice and guidance and as a first year student, you are also offered a student mentor.

You will have access to a dedicated Student Experience and Support Officer who supports students from the School of Allied Health Professions. As part of Keele’s student services, they work collaboratively with other teams across the university to enable you to easily access the support you need.

There is peer support, and additional help available from the School's Disability Liaison Officer who provides an additional layer of support for all students, particularly for those who have special learning needs.

You will have access to a mixture of advice and support services at Keele which include;

• Learning Support and Academic Guidance
• Disability Services
• English Language Unit
• Student Advice at Keele (ASK)
• Student Support Services
• Occupational Health Department