MSc Sport Rehabilitation | Prepare for your MSc

REFRESH THE FOUNDATIONS

Neuromusculoskeletal Anatomy and Physiology Refresher

Revisit the core anatomy and physiology concepts that underpin assessment, clinical reasoning and rehabilitation. The aim is not to memorise everything before the course begins, but to identify any areas you may wish to refresh.

Estimated time: 20–30 minutes Priority: Recommended

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Why refresh these foundations?

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Throughout the MSc you will regularly apply anatomy and physiology when assessing patients, interpreting symptoms, planning rehabilitation and explaining your clinical decisions.

A working understanding of the fundamentals will make it easier to focus on higher-level clinical reasoning rather than feeling that you need to relearn basic terminology during practical sessions.

You do not need to revise everything

Nobody remembers every muscle attachment, nerve root or anatomical landmark. Focus on understanding the main concepts and being able to apply them to movement and clinical problems.

Quick confidence check

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For each topic, decide whether you feel confident, would benefit from a quick refresher, or are not yet sure. There is no score and nothing is submitted.

Topic	Confident	Quick refresher	Not yet sure
Anatomical terminology	○	○	○
Planes, axes and joint movements	○	○	○
Muscle actions and functional anatomy	○	○	○
Joint structure and stability	○	○	○
Peripheral nerves, dermatomes and myotomes	○	○	○
Muscle contraction and motor units	○	○	○
Pain and nociception	○	○	○

Use your answers to guide your preparation. Choose one or two topics to revisit rather than trying to cover the whole page in detail.

Core neuromusculoskeletal foundations

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Open the sections most relevant to you. Each contains a short reminder and a question to test whether you can apply the concept.

📍 Anatomical language

Refresh:

anatomical position;
superior and inferior;
anterior and posterior;
medial and lateral;
proximal and distal;
superficial and deep.

Self-check: Could you describe the location of the patella in relation to the femur and tibia using anatomical terminology?

🔄 Planes, axes and movement

Refresh:

sagittal, frontal and transverse planes;
flexion and extension;
abduction and adduction;
internal and external rotation;
pronation and supination;
inversion and eversion.

Self-check: In which plane does shoulder abduction mainly occur, and around which axis?

💪 Muscle function

Think beyond memorising origins and insertions. Refresh:

prime movers, antagonists and synergists;
concentric, eccentric and isometric actions;
open and closed kinetic chain actions;
muscle length and joint position;
functional roles during movement.

Self-check: What role do the quadriceps play when someone lowers themselves slowly into a chair?

🦴 Joint structure and stability

Refresh:

fibrous, cartilaginous and synovial joints;
articular cartilage;
joint capsule and synovial membrane;
ligaments and passive stability;
muscular control and dynamic stability.

Self-check: Why is the shoulder highly mobile but comparatively reliant on muscular control for stability?

🧠 Nervous system foundations

Refresh:

central and peripheral nervous systems;
sensory and motor pathways;
nerve roots and peripheral nerves;
dermatomes and myotomes;
reflexes and basic motor control.

Self-check: How is a peripheral nerve problem different from a spinal nerve-root problem?

⚡ Muscle contraction and force

Refresh:

motor neurons and motor units;
the neuromuscular junction;
excitation-contraction coupling;
actin and myosin interaction;
motor-unit recruitment and firing rate;
how muscles produce and regulate force.

Self-check: How can the nervous system increase muscle force without increasing muscle size?

🩺 Pain and nociception

Refresh the distinction between:

nociception and pain;
tissue damage and perceived threat;
acute and persistent pain;
peripheral and central sensitisation;
biological, psychological and social influences.

Self-check: Why might two people with similar tissue injuries report very different pain experiences?

🏃 Functional anatomy

Refresh how anatomical knowledge is applied to:

walking and running;
squatting and landing;
pushing, pulling and reaching;
single-leg control;
force transfer through the kinetic chain.

Self-check: Which joints and muscle groups contribute when someone climbs a flight of stairs?

Clinical anatomy challenge

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These are not formal test questions. Use them to practise connecting anatomy and physiology to clinical problems.

Case 1: Difficulty lifting the arm

A patient can begin shoulder abduction but struggles to continue lifting the arm and demonstrates poor scapular control.

Which muscles or structures would you initially consider?

Reveal some possibilities

You might consider the deltoid, supraspinatus, rotator cuff, long thoracic nerve, serratus anterior and trapezius. The exact interpretation would depend on pain, strength, range, neurological findings and movement quality.

Case 2: Unable to stand on tiptoes

A patient cannot complete a single-leg heel raise on the affected side.

Which movement, muscles and nerve pathway would you consider?

Reveal some possibilities

The task requires ankle plantarflexion, particularly through the gastrocnemius and soleus. You might also consider the Achilles tendon, tibial nerve and the S1–S2 nerve roots.

Case 3: Numbness over the lateral shoulder

A patient reports altered sensation over the outer aspect of the shoulder following a traumatic shoulder injury.

Which peripheral nerve might be relevant?

Reveal the answer

The axillary nerve may be relevant because it supplies sensation over part of the lateral shoulder and motor function to the deltoid and teres minor.

Clinical reasoning rarely depends on one anatomical fact. It involves combining anatomy, physiology, symptoms, movement, mechanism, examination findings and the person’s wider context.

Could you explain these concepts?

A useful way to check understanding is to imagine explaining a concept clearly to another person.

Why does the rotator cuff contribute to shoulder stability?

Why is the ACL important for knee stability and function?

How do agonists, antagonists and synergists work together?

How does the nervous system regulate muscle force?

Why is pain not always proportional to tissue damage?

Why is functional anatomy more useful than memorising structures in isolation?

Suggested refresher resources

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Use these selectively. You do not need to work through every resource.

TeachMeAnatomy

Useful for concise regional anatomy summaries, diagrams and clinical relevance.

Visit TeachMeAnatomy →

Kenhub

Offers anatomy articles, diagrams and quizzes. Some content requires a subscription.

Visit Kenhub →

GetBodySmart

Free interactive anatomy and physiology tutorials covering major body systems and movement-related structures.

Visit GetBodySmart →

Your existing anatomy textbook

Your own undergraduate textbook may be the quickest and most familiar place to revisit terminology, joint anatomy and muscle function.

Suggested approach: choose one body region or one physiology topic, spend 20–30 minutes refreshing it, and then try to explain it without looking at your notes.

Before Welcome Week

Use this as a simple guide rather than a compulsory checklist.

☐ I understand basic anatomical terminology.

☐ I can describe the major joint movements.

☐ I understand the main types of muscle action.

☐ I understand basic nerve and muscle function.

☐ I can connect anatomy to common functional movements.

☐ I understand that pain is more complex than tissue damage alone.

Feeling rusty?

That is completely normal, especially if you have been away from formal study or clinical practice for a while. The purpose of this page is to guide your preparation, not to test whether you are already ready in every area.

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Understanding matters more than memorising

Aim to arrive with a working knowledge of the foundations and the confidence to revisit anything you have forgotten. Your anatomy and physiology knowledge will continue to develop throughout the MSc.

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