Theme Intervention - Physiology 4, 3 credits

The aim of the course is that the student should acquire theoretical knowledge in the field of pain physiology with goals to be integrated into clinical reasoning for assessment of patients with pain and planning of physiotherapeutic interventions. The course also aims to stimulate a reflective and scientific approach.

Learning objectives

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• explain physiological origin and modulation of pain
• report principles for pain classification and pain analysis and discuss them in relation to different types of pain
• give examples of physiotherapeutic interventions applied to different types of pain and explain their possible underlying physiological mechanisms
• explain the different types of pain pharmacological treatment principles and their application
• explain individual variability of perceived pain in relation to biopsychosocial aspects

The course Theme Intervention - Physiology 4 contains:

• The signaling of the pain system
• Endogenous pain control system
• Pain classification
• Pain analysis
• Possible physiological mechanisms of physiotherapeutic pain relief interventions
• Placebo-nocebo
• Pain pharmacology

The teaching is based on a problem-oriented and collaborative approach to learning in which the tasks provide opportunities for the student to take active responsibility for their learning. The used teaching methods are lectures, laboration, seminar and own work with study questions where the student is expected to acquire a large part of the knowledge through theoretical self-study and at laboration and seminar. 
The student is given the opportunity to feedback on his or her knowledge through electronic questionnaires on the learning platform and through active participation in question time with teaching teachers.

Compulsory coursel elements are:

• Laboration and seminar

The course coordinator decides whether, and if so how, absence from compulsory course elements can be made up. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator. Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

The course is examined with a written examination i.

A student who has not approved after the ordinary examination opportunity are entitled to participate in further five examinations. If the student has completed six failed examinations/tests, no further examination opportunity will be given. As an exam opportunity, the times are counted when the student participated in one and the same exam. The submission of blank written exam is counted as an examination opportunity.
Examination opportunity to which the student was enrolled but did not participate is not counted as an examination opportunity.

In the case of failed results of regular examination, the student is given the opportunity to return to a re-examination in the same semester. After that, the student is given the opportunity to be examined on two occasions per semester, in connection with the regular and rest occasions (rest exam), the coming semesters.

An examination will be made available for a period of one year in the event of the course being discontinued or a new course syllabus being devised.

Course evaluation is conducted according to the guidelines established by the Board of Education at KI, and based on established evaluation routines within the programme.