Basics of Manual Therapy and Therapeutic Exercise (6cr)

Evaluation scale

1-5

Content scheduling

The theory teaching and practical sessions of massage, as well as client massages, will be carried out during the spring semester of 2026. The course on the fundamentals of manual therapy and therapeutic exercise will continue in the autumn semester of 2026.

Objective

The student can:

- Identify manual therapy methods
- Understand how manual therapy affects the human body
- Use different manual therapy methods in practice
- Understand the basics of therapeutic exercise
- Can plan and implement progressive therapeutic exercise program in practice
- the student is able to use physical therapy methods in client care according to evidence-based knowledge

Content

Content:

- Massage , mobilization, manipulation, fascia-methods, trigger-point treatment
- Physiology of exercise, training progression, motor learning
- Physical therapy

Materials

The teaching material available on the course platform in Moodle.

Teaching methods

Theory teaching
Practical training sessions
Client work

Student workload

The course is worth 2 credits, which corresponds to a total of 54 hours. Of this, practical training sessions and client massages account for approximately 37 hours, while the theory component with assignments takes about 17 hours.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student

- Can name different manual therapy methods and, to some extent, explain how they affect the human body
- Understands the contraindications of manual therapy and knows to some extent when manual therapy can be used in physiotherapy
- Knows how to use manual therapy methods in practice
- Understands some basics of therapeutic exercise and knows how to use therapeutic exercises in physiotherapy in practice

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student

- Can partially name different manual therapy methods and explain how they affect the human body
- Partially understands contraindications of manual therapy and knows when manual therapy can be used in physiotherapy
- Partially knows how to use manual therapy methods in practice
- Partially understands the basics of therapeutic exercise and knows partially how to use therapeutic exercises in physiotherapy in practice

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student

- Can name different manual therapy methods and explain how they affect the human body
- Understand the contraindications of manual therapy and knows when manual therapy can be used in physiotherapy
- Knows how to use manual therapy methods in practice
- Understand the basics of therapeutic exercise and knows how to use therapeutic exercises in physiotherapy in practice