Skillslab concept in the physiotherapy degree programme
In the course of their training, physiotherapists will be able to recognise serious diseases and risks and to precisely identify the causes of complaints. This is crucial to ensure that patients are treated safely and effectively. Important for precise diagnostics and effective therapy are good manual skills ("dexterity") and the ability to observe clinically ("therapeutic eye"). These core competences are taught to our physiotherapy students in the course of their studies.
The physiotherapy skills lab is a special learning space where students can work on their diagnostic and therapeutic skills in a protected environment.
Here, students learn how to safely measure joint mobility, they analyse human gait and analyse their measurement results and their observations with biomechanical feedback systems. In doing so, they reliably determine joint angles, movement patterns and sharpen their therapeutic eye in the process - an important competence when examining diseases of the musculoskeletal system. With very precise sensors and easy-to-use analysis software, our students learn to set reproducible training resistances and safe force dosage for muscle, soft tissue techniques and joint mobilisations.
In order to further increase the quality of training, we have set up a state-of-the-art learning laboratory (skills lab) for our students. Here, the students' treatment and examination skills are further optimised at various learning stations. Students can independently check their treatment techniques with the most modern measuring systems and receive live feedback. This tells them whether their therapy actually reaches the affected structures (muscles, joints, organs) and thus has the intended effect.
In addition, anatomical knowledge of the musculature and biomechanics is further deepened and consolidated during the skills training. For this purpose, we have anatomy software available that can be run on tablets or the lab computers. In addition to biomechanical measuring systems, our students also have access to a modern heat imaging camera with which they can train their sense of touch (palpation), the detection and of heat and inflammatory processes. The mobile camera system is also used by the students to illustrate the effects of cold and heat applications in practical lessons.
Through the advanced learning units, our students are prepared in the best possible way for clinical placements and their later everyday working life and are consequently recognisable as being particularly qualified.
The individual learning offerings of our skills lab are described in more detail in the following text.
Muscle function becomes visible...
Electromyography gives learners a virtual view into muscle function. To do this, learners stick small wireless sensors on muscles they want to "observe". If the sensors are placed correctly, exercises can be started immediately. In the process, sum action potentials of individual muscle fibres are recorded, calculated by an intelligent software and transferred into a graphic representation of the muscle function. The learners use the information to improve their treatment techniques, such as the application of guiding resistances (PNF), and expand their understanding of functional training. They receive immediate feedback during the exercises on how therapeutic actions and decisions affect muscle function. The learning units increase student knowledge of anatomy, muscle physiology, biomechanics and training control.
...we analyse, interpret and influence movement.
For this purpose, the learners have state-of-the-art acceleration sensors (IMU) and intelligent analysis software at their disposal. The learners put on each other's so-called wearables (portable sensors) with elastic straps and can immediately start the movement analysis. Whether squat jump, push-up, fast running or slow walking, the telemetric measurement system enables a precise analysis of the movement sequences. The small devices worn on the body record complex movements of the spine and the smallest changes in the angle of the joints of the extremities, even while performing certain exercises or complex training sequences. Angular positions in static positions or during sporting activities can be precisely displayed in the live image. This enables the analysis of movement profiles of healthy athletes or the deviating movement patterns of patients with musculoskeletal disorders. The learners already see a digital image of the movement sequences available as an avatar and video sequence during the performance. In addition, acceleration forces, directions of movement and mass movements are also recorded. And so that learning does not have to end with the work in the laboratory, the learners can further analyse their measurement data on their own computers. For this purpose, a student licence is available to the learners, which can be run on their home laptop or PC.
...assessing and dosing forces.
How hard do I have to push or pull for my therapy to work optimally? This is a question that many trainees ask themselves in the course of their training. The learning lab also offers a smart solution for this. Digital force measuring devices (dynamometers) can precisely determine forces applied manually or with the aid of equipment and compare them with reference values. These systems can also be combined with the laboratory software provided and give direct feedback on how much force the learners apply to a technique. In this way, learners can quickly and safely check whether their therapeutic action is too strong, too weak or optimally dosed. At the learning station, techniques such as pain-relieving traction of joints or the targeted use of training resistance are practised. As a result, the learners can better assess their strength and gain more confidence in their practical actions.
...making hidden things visible.
The use of a thermal imaging camera allows learners to further reflect on their therapeutic practice. The learners use the camera system during the application of cold and heat carriers or during interventions that influence the heat balance (training) or the blood circulation (muscle techniques, massage). The mobile system allows flexible use in the laboratory and in the classroom. With the thermographic images, therapeutic interventions become visible and can be better controlled. The students see immediately whether and how strongly their treatment is working.
...train the therapeutic eye.
The raster stereography technique provides learners with a modern and objective diagnostic tool. The system works with light and video technology and enables learners to perform a 3-D analysis of the spine. A light source projects a horizontal line pattern onto the upper body as if through a "blind". By curving the line pattern on the surface of the back, a computer-assisted camera system can calculate a three-dimensional model of the body surface and the spine. The system also integrates a pressure measurement plate that determines the pressure distribution of the feet and the shift of the centre of gravity. Learners use the technology to analyse and better understand human statics. The system trains the learners' therapeutic eye for functional or habitual postural deviations and malpositions.