Foundations of Therapeutic Exercise

Catalog description

Therapeutic Exercise is a 4-credit course offered during the Spring semester of the first year of the DPT program. This course will introduce students to the scientific and theoretical basis as well as the clinical application of therapeutic exercises commonly used by physical therapists such as range of motion, stretching, resistance, and aerobic exercises. Specific course content will include indications, precautions, contraindications, principles and procedures for applying various types of therapeutic exercise interventions. Clinical reasoning, evidence based practice, and independent learning will be fostered through traditional lectures, group discussions, laboratory activities, and case presentations. In order to critically analyze clinical scenarios presented in this course, students will be expected to integrate and apply information learned from any preceding physical therapy coursework in addition to those learned from this course. At the completion of the course, students will be expected to be able to design an exercise program aimed at improving physical impairments and functional limitations.