The teaching is organized as follows:

Learning objectives

Provide the basic knowledge of the physiology of the motor system, biomechanics, kinesiology and functional/evaluation methods in physiotherapy. PHYSIOLOGY OF MOTOR SYSTEM Provide knowledge to understand the physiology of the skeletal muscles and the neurophysiologic mechanism of motor control. Know the organisation of systems which control human body move-ments. BIOMECHANICS AND SEGMENTAL KINESIOLOGY Understand and analyse the mechanical aspects of movements based on kinematic and dynamic movements of human body. Describe physiologic and joint movements. Understand biomechanical factors that affect muscles capacity of generating force. Analyse and visualise the forces acting on specific joints and calculate internal and external mo-ments in static and dynamic contexts. Describe the inertial proprieties and frictional forces and understand how these factors may influ-ence human movements, both in local and global contexts. Know viscoelastic proprieties of tissues. Know joints physiology of the human body and analyse muscular actions, stress and stretching of the joints and the specific biomechanics. Analyse in a clinical perspective, mechanical movements taking into consideration all these aspects: kinematics, kinetics, muscular roles, levers, inertial system and additional variables. FUNCTIONAL KINESIOLOGY Understand concepts such as muscle chains, synergistic muscles, agonist/antagonist muscles, stabili-zation, muscles relating to functional gestures. Know the biomechanics of physiological and functional movements of the spine, static positions (supine, sitting, standing) and basic functional gestures involving different joints (such as postural changes). Know and evaluate the biomechanics of muscles of the upper limbs (reaching, catching, manipula-tion). Know and evaluate the biomechanics of muscles of the lower limbs (walking, climbing and going down the stairs). Be able to describe posture, postural changes and functional gestures alterations (walking, climbing and going down the stairs, reaching, catching, manipulation of objects) and describe, in a general way, the possible biomechanical causes. FUNCTIONAL EVALUATION IN PHYSIOTHERAPY Perform joint and muscular evaluation in all body parts by recognising qualitative and quantitative alterations, circumferential measurement of limbs, evaluation of the main cardiocirculatory and res-piratory parameters. Relevant supplementary data with observation of postural and gestures alterations. Know the physi-otherapy assessment scales to evaluate complex phenomena with their psychometric proprieties. Use in a proper way physiotherapy assessment scales (self-administered or administered by the physiotherapist).