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BI1358

Exercise physiology and rehabilitation for performance and injury prevention.

Instruction is given in the form of lectures, independent study and compulsory demonstrations, practical and theoretical exercises. The course includes the handling of dissection material and live animals.


The course provides the students with theoretical knowledge in exercise physiology by teaching them when, how and why a selection of evaluation and training methods are used on horses and dogs. The course covers areas such as the response of tissues to injury, healing and different amounts of load. It will also cover rehabilitation interventions for a selected number of illnesses and injuries, assessment methods and their indications, modes of action and scientific documentation. The students practise critically reviewing documentation on training and discussing ethical aspects of animal welfare.


The students are given the opportunity to implement their theoretical knowledge practically, for example


as part of the course components on preventive training and training for performance.


Information from the course leader

Welcome to the course!

A preliminary schedule will be avaliable here one month prior to the course. Once the course starts, all communication regarding the course will be conducted in the course room in Canvas.

Course evaluation

The course evaluation is now closed

BI1358-30262 - Course evaluation report

Once the evaluation is closed, the course coordinator and student representative have 1 month to draft their comments. The comments will be published in the evaluation report.

Additional course evaluations for BI1358

Academic year 2020/2021

Exercise physiology and rehabilitation for performance and injury prevention. (BI1358-30130)

2021-01-18 - 2021-03-23

Academic year 2019/2020

Exercise physiology and rehabilitation for performance and injury prevention. (BI1358-30281)

2020-01-20 - 2020-03-24

Syllabus and other information

Grading criteria

Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5 Has developed a written training plan according to the specified instructions with both depth and a holistic approach, based on scientific documentation with clear, well-grounded arguments and relevant terminology for the chosen methods and strategies. Can describe the impact of various training regimens on the animal's locomotor and circulation systems and can discuss the development of these organ systems in parallel over time. Can describe in detail ways of measuring progression in training and the relationship between physiological markers and performance, as well as assess the value of these types of measurements in different situations based on substantiated arguments.
4 Has developed a written training plan according to the specified instructions based on scientific documentation with relevant arguments and relevant terminology for the chosen methods and strategies. Can describe the impact of various training regimes on the animal's locomotor and circulation systems and can discuss the development of these organ systems in parallel. Can describe in detail ways of measuring progression in training and the relationship between physiological markers and performance, as well as assess the value of these types of measurements in different situations.
3 Has developed a written training plan according to the specified instructions based on scientific documentation. Can provide an overview description of how the locomotor system's tissues react when injured, while healing and to different levels of stress. Can describe in detail the effect of different training regimens on the animal's locomotor and circulation systems. Can describe in detail ways of measuring progression in training and the relationship between physiological markers and performance. Can provide an overview description of indications, contraindications, models of explanation and mechanisms of action for a selection of rehabilitation techniques. Demonstrate a certain ability to evaluate scientific documentation within the field of rehabilitation and training physiology and justify the importance of a scientific approach. Has actively participated in discussions on questions relating to ethics, animal welfare and worker protection that can arise in training, competition and rehabilitation work.
Objectives Design a training programme according to given instructions. Describe how tissues of the locomotor system respond to varying loads and to injury and healing. Describe, in detail, the impact of different training programmes on the animal's locomotion and circulatory systems. Describe, in detail, ways to measure progression in training and relationships between physiological markers and performance. At a general level, describe indications, contraindications, model and mode of action for a selection of rehabilitation and evaluation techniques. Critically evaluate scientific documentation in the area of rehabilitation and exercise physiology and justify the importance of a scientific approach in the training of animals. Reflect on issues regarding ethics, animal welfare and workplace safety that can arise during training, competition and rehabilitation.

Litterature list

  1. Equine Exercise Physiology The Science of Exercise in the Athletic Horse Författare: Kenneth W. Hinchcliff ISBN: 978-0-7020-2857-1 [Equine Exercise Physiology The Science of Exercise in the Athletic Horse] (https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780702028571/equine-exercise-physiology) Kommentar: SLU students may download this book for free from Elsevier
  2. Alternative course literature:The Athletic Horse (Second Edition) Principles and Practice of Equine Sports Medicine Författare: David R. Hodgson, Catherine McGowan and Kenneth McKeever ISBN: 978-0-7216-0075-8 [Alternative course literature:The Athletic Horse (Second Edition) Principles and Practice of Equine Sports Medicine] (https://https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780721600758/the-athletic-horse) Kommentar: SLU students may download this book for free from Elsevier

Course facts

The course is offered as an independent course: Yes Tuition fee: Tuition fee only for non-EU/EEA/Switzerland citizens: 38054 SEK Cycle: Master’s level (A1N)
Subject: Animal Science Biology Biology Animal science
Course code: BI1358 Application code: SLU-30262 Location: Uppsala Distance course: No Language: English Responsible department: Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry Pace: 100%