Info for people considering a masters and career in (Musculoskeletal) Health Sciences

1. Master of Science
MUSCULOSKELETAL
PHYSIOTHERAPY
SCIENCES
Michel Coppieters
Hoogleraar/Prof Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
Program Director

2. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Why study the MSc in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Sciences
following a bachelor/masters in Physiotherapy or Human
Movement Sciences (or …) ?
§ The program
§ Career prospects
§ Admission & Finances
OVERVIEW

3. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Why study the MSc in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Sciences
following a bachelor/masters in Physiotherapy or Human
Movement Sciences (or …) ?
§ The program
§ Career prospects
§ Admission & Finances
OVERVIEW

4. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
WHY STUDY
MUSCULOSKELETAL PHYSIOTHERAPY SCIENCES?
If you want to learn about clinical experimental
research in musculoskeletal health & develop a
career in musculoskeletal health sciences.
Note: Clinical experimental research in Musculoskeletal
Health versus epidemiological research.

5. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
WHY STUDY
MUSCULOSKELETAL PHYSIOTHERAPY SCIENCES?
With a masters in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Sciences
(with or without a bachelor/masters in HMS) you have
important attributes to make a significant
contribution in Health Sciences.
Reflected in the multidisciplinary
program
Health Sciences are much
broader than Physiotherapy.
Human
movement
Physiotherapy
Orthopedics Health

6. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Sports Health Rehabilitation
Healthy people
& athletes
Patient
populations
Epidemiology
(Population health)
Clinical
experimental
research
WHY STUDY
MUSCULOSKELETAL PHYSIOTHERAPY SCIENCES?
Sports injuries,
ergonomics, etc

7. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
CLINICAL EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Translational
research
§ From the lab, to (pre)clinic,… to the real world
Fundamental /
Basic sciences
Applied sciences
Lab Primary care
Secondary care
Tertiary care

8. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
CLINICAL EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Working mechanisms
of treatments
Design and
validation of novel
clinical tests
Pathophysiology
of musculoskeletal
disorders
Biomechanical
analysis of
clinical tests
Designing and testing
novel
interventions
§ Examples
And much, much more…
§ From the lab, to (pre)clinic,… to the real world

9. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
WHY STUDY
MUSCULOSKELETAL PHYSIOTHERAPY SCIENCES?
If you want to learn about clinical experimental
research in musculoskeletal health & develop a
career in musculoskeletal health sciences.
Note: Clinical experimental research in Musculoskeletal
Health versus epidemiological research.

10. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
MUSCULOSKELETAL HEALTH
The Lancet - Vol 380 (2012)

11. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
1: Low back pain
4: Neck pain
6: Other musculoskeletal
disorders
+ - sport injuries
- ergonomics
- pain management
- headache & migraine
- arthritis
- orthotics & prosthesis
- musculoskeletal side effects of cancer treatment
- …

12. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Why study MSc Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Sciences?
§ The program
§ Career prospects
§ Admission & Finances
OVERVIEW

13. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
THE PROGRAM
§ One-year program (60 EC)
§ Full-time (part-time option)
§ English language

14. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
THE PROGRAM
MUSCULOSKELETAL
PHYSIOTHERAPY
SCIENCES
Multidisciplinary
program
Reflected in student enrolment
(~50% Physio; ~50% HMS; Other: psychology,…)
Human
movement
Physiotherapy
Orthopedics Health

15. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
THE PROGRAM
Clinical
research
methodology
(~quarter)
(12 EC)
Acquisition of
new & in-depth
clinical
knowledge
and skills
(~quarter)
(18 EC)
Supervised
research
project
(half)
(30 EC)

16. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Clinical research methodology (2x 6 EC): Design,
analysis, appraisal,… of various types of clinical studies
1) RESEARCH METHODS
(12 EC; ~25% of the program)
Prediction

17. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Capita Selecta
Inspiring lectures by established and future leaders in the field
of musculoskeletal health (national and international)
2) ACQUISITION OF NEW & IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE
AND SKILLS (18 EC; ~25% of the program)
- Learning, brain plasticity and pain
- Effectiveness of multidisciplinary management for low back pain
- Novel insights in patella tendinopathy and its management
- Brain imaging and the neural basis of complex postural tasks
- Management of tennis elbow and anterior knee pain
- Self-management of workers with neck and arm pain
- Headache in children
- Manual therapy for tinnitus
…

18. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Capita Selecta
Inspiring lectures by established and future leaders in the field
of musculoskeletal health (national and international)
§ Analysis of human movement (12 EC)
Measuring movement (6EC)*
Biomechanical analysis of human movement (6 EC)
§ Optional courses (6 EC)
- Medical imaging (3 EC)
- Histology (3 EC)
- 3D Kinematics (3 EC)
- Electromyography (3 EC)
- Docentenopleiding
- (…)
*Or: Physiotherapy organisation
and practice (6 EC)
2) ACQUISITION OF NEW & IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE
AND SKILLS (18 EC; ~25% of the program)

19. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Quantitative Sensory Testing
Virtual reality +
Kinect
Electro-
myography
Force plate
Electro
gonios
…
Medical Imaging:
ultrasound
…
Ice bath
…
Data acquisitionPhysio-lab

20. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Sports Health Rehabilitation
Healthy people
& athletes
Patient
populations
Epidemiology
(Population health)
Clinical
experimental
research
Sports injuries,
ergonomics, etc
3) RESEARCH PROJECT
(30 EC; half of the program)

21. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
3) RESEARCH PROJECT
(30 EC; half of the program)
§ From the lab to pre-clinic, to clinic,… to the real world
Translational research
Fundamental / Basic Applied
Lab Primary care
Secondary care
Tertiary care

22. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Example 1:
Where does the pain come from in Achilles tendinopathy?
Structural
pathology in
tendon
Pain &
functional
limitations

23. In Achilles tendinopathy, pain processing in the spinal cord
and brain is altered, similar to patients with chronic pain
Student: Nefeli Tompra (2015-2016)
Tompra, van Dieën, Coppieters (2016) Br J Sports Med; 50 (16): 1004-1007
People with Achilles tendinopathy
Healthy participants
0
50
100
150
200
250
Conditioned pain modulation effect
People
with
Achilles
tendinopathy
Healthy
participants
p < 0.001
36 (68) 161 (85)
9°
+
253 (80)
671 (216)
832 (213)
289 (114)
CPM
effect
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Pressure pain threshold (kPa)
36 (68)
p < 0.001
161 (85)
p < 0.001
Pressure
pain
threshold
Pressure
pain
threshold
Conditioned
pain modulation
effect

24. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Example 2
Quantifying impaired nerve movement in the arm
in women following breast cancer treatment
Median nerve
Students: Laura Habets (2015-2016)
Arlette van Heesch (2016-2017)
40% of women develop
shoulder dysfunction
and/or arm pain following
breast cancer treatment
Why?
(& then… how do we treat it?)10.2 mm
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14

25. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Example 3
The use of virtual (and augmented) reality in the
management of people with neck pain
Students: Antonia Hauswirth (2016-2017)
Stefan Schuiling (2016-2017)

26. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
THE PROGRAM
EVALUATION
Clinical
research
methodology
Clinical
knowledge
and skills
Supervised
research
project
Responders: Students with bachelor/master in - HMS (~50%)
- Physiotherapy (~50%)

27. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Clinical researcher in Health, Rehabilitation, Orthopaedics,…
(university, polytechnic (HBO), hospital, primary care…)
§ Ideal stepping stone towards a PhD
§ Lecturer in higher education
§ Knowledge broker / Embedded scientist in Health,
Rehabilitation, Orthopaedics,…
§ Manager / policy maker in the healthcare domain
§ …
CAREER PROSPECTS
Following completion of this program, you will be a clinician, a
human movement scientist, or a … (i.e., you) with a solid training
in clinical sciences and research and with a strong insight in the
world of rehabilitation.

28. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Because this is a one-year master program, specific pre-existing
knowledge in some domains is needed (besides a relevant
undergraduate), in order to be able to successfully complete the
program. This knowledge relates to:
• Principles of Biomechanics
• Principle of Mathematics
• Principles of Statistics
• Principles of the Analysis of digital signals
Depending on your undergraduate studies, you may have to
address one or more deficiencies before you can enter the masters
program. We offer individually-tailored programs to address these
deficiencies in a pre-master program. This program can be
conducted online or via face-to-face education on campus.

29. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Mathematics (6EC)
§ Statistics (6EC)
§ Processing of digital signals (6EC)
§ Biomechanics (6EC)
§ If additional courses (e.g., a science minor) have been
completed successfully, exemptions may be granted.
PREMASTER PROGRAM MPS 2016-2017
(typical for physio, OT,…)

30. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ Premaster programme is 24 EC (max. 30 EC)
§ Programme must be fully completed within 1 year:
(after 1 year the results expire, if program not completed)
§ Enrolment as premaster student in bachelor programme
(via Studielink); deadline: June 1 (for Dutch students)
§ Costs:
§ Premaster programme: € 1003
§ Additional courses outside premaster programme: approx € 34 per EC
§ HBO-bachelors: premaster-assessment (mandatory & binding): € 110
PREMASTER PROGRAMME 2017-2018

31. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
§ The statutory tuition fee is € 2006
§ For non-EEA students and students taking this masters as a
second masters: € 13,500
§ Exception: Masters as a second masters for students whose
first masters was not in the Field of Heath or Education: € 2006
TUITION FEE 2017-2018

32. ‹#› Het begint met een idee
35 Het begint met een idee
General information
§ www.vu.nl/collegeld
§ studentenbalie@vu.nl
§ Visit the stands of:
§ International Office (accommodation etc.)
§ Central Study Desk (tuition fees)
35
MORE INFORMATION
35 Psychologie studeren aan de VU
Or visit our stand on the ground floor!
www.vu.nl/mps

33. Dr ScholtenDr Pool
Dr IJmker
Prof Coppieters
Prof VeegerProf van Dieen
Dr Houdijk
Dr Hoozemans
Dr Jaspers
and
many
many
others...
It’s an exciting program,
blending ‘the new’ with ‘the good’.
We wish you a lot of wisdom
in your choice for your further study/career!

34. Master of Science
MUSCULOSKELETAL
PHYSIOTHERAPY
SCIENCES
Michel Coppieters
Hoogleraar/Prof Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy
Program Director
www.vu.nl/mps