Course

Athletic Injury Assessment and Management

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Sport Science
Course code
SPSC 3276
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
30
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
Fall
Winter
Summer

Overview

Course description
This course examines concepts associated with recognition and prevention of common injuries resulting from physical or sports-related activities. Students learn basic injury management techniques through a practical component, including assessment, acute treatment, recommendations for appropriate referral, and return to sport/activity. As a part of this course, students have the opportunity to apply for the designation of 'trained status' in specific modules with the Coaching Association of Canada's (CAC) National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). This application with CAC will incur additional fees.
Course content
  • Team approach to delivery of injury care
    • The role of sport practitioners and allied health professionals in the care and prevention of sports injuries
    • Standard of care guidelines
  • Principles of athletic injury prevention
  • Acute and chronic tissue response
    • The physiology of trauma
    • Life threatening and emergent conditions
  • Etiology of injury
    • Role of functional mechanics in injury
    • Basic mechanical forces and loads 
    • Etiology and pathology of common acute and chronic injuries
  • Injury management for upper and lower appendicular, axial, systemic, and environmental conditions
    • Initial management principles
    • Return to sport and activity protocols
    • Application of prophylactic taping

 

Learning activities

Classroom time will be used for lecture and group discussion. Lab time will be used for case studies and practical application. Online discussion and self-study may occur outside of class time. 

Means of assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the start of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Practical Application Projects  15-35%
Mid-term exam 0-30%
Final exam 0-30%
Practical exam 10-25%
Participation  0-15%
 Total 100%

Note: Students will need to receive a grade of D or better in the course to be eligible to receive the designation of 'trained status' in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) module(s) embedded in this course.   

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • recognize the functional movement patterns of various body joints;
  • analyze how mechanical forces applied to the body affect the architecture of various body joints;
  • recognize intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors associated with common activity and sport-related injuries;
  • develop an injury prevention plan that considers the intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors associated with common activity and sport-related injuries;
  • recognize and manage life-threatening and emergent conditions in physical activity and sport-related situations by creating an emergency action plan;
  • demonstrate basic assessment techniques used to evaluate and manage acute and chronic activity-related injuries;
  • use basic prophylactic/support taping methods;
  • apply athletic re-entry protocols to allow a participant back into activity following injury.
Textbook materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials may include:

Anderson, M. (Current Edition). Foundations of Athletic Training: Prevention, Assessment and Management. Wolters Kluwer.

Students will be required to purchase their own taping material for skills practice inside and outside the classroom. An example of appropriate taping material is: 1.5” athletic tape (such as COACH by Johnson & Johnson recommend for quality). 

To receive the designation of 'trained status' in specific NCCP modules, students will be required to purchase supplementary materials online, directly from viaSport. Students will incur a cost associated with these additional materials. 

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for SPSC 3276
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) No credit
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU BPK 241 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PHED 2XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU HKIN 372 (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV KIN 371 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC EPHE 2XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

Winter 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
30
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
30
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N2217
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N2221
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N2223
Times:
Start Time
8:30
-
End Time
10:20
Section notes

SPSC 3276 001 - Registration is restricted to Bachelor of Physical Education and Coaching students until December 1st, 2025. Registration in this course provides registrants with a 'time conflict' error. This error can be disregarded for this course as it is due to a required room booking overlap.