Best practice guideline care for musculoskeletal pain recommends treatment that is patient centered, screens for red flags, assess psychosocial factors, use imaging selectively, and monitors patient progress with appropriate outcome measures. Best practice care also encourages self-management advice, education and exercise as first-line treatments and recommends to use of manual therapy only as an adjunct to other treatments. Present literature acknowledges both physical and psychological factors that play an important role in the understanding of pain and related disability. 

You will present an evidence-informed management plan for a patient presenting with an extremity complaint. Information on the case will be provided at the commencement of the semester.

You will answer 4 questions below, providing a brief paragraph answering each of these questions it in relation to the case provided.

1. Please provide a brief summary for the case, i.e., key elements such as basic patient demographics and complaint history. See this as an elevator pitch. This is not intended to be exhaustive - 50 words or less. Outside of the 50 word limit, please provide your working diagnosis underneath your elevator pitch.

2. Please provide your patient with education/information about their condition and management options. Ideally, you should look to incorporate/encourage strategies for self-management and/or inform/reassure patients about the condition or management (e.g., prognosis). (150 words or less)

3. Please highlight key components you would consider for manual therapy or ‘hands on’ care. You should cast your eye on the available literature with respect to the condition you have diagnosed and include a brief schedule of treatment you would recommend. (150 words or less).

4. Please outline recommendations addressing physical activity, exercise and/or exercise therapy. This may take the form of mobility, stability, stretching, flexibility and strengthening, in addition to more general recommendations for physical activity/exercise (150 words or less).

For your answers, imagine you are ‘talking’ to the patient who is in front of you. Like a report of findings, how will you deliver the approach to education, manual therapy, and physical activity/exercise? How will you incorporate the literature? Will you consider ‘yellow flags’, mood/emotions (depression and anxiety), psychosocial aspects like fear/kinesiophobia and recovery expectations within your conversation? Please ensure components are placed in a logical and easy to understand manner, as you would prescribe and describe in the clinic. Given the tight word limit, this will be a challenging assignment as you attempt to fit in and elaborate on the key elements or components from the guidelines.

This case report will be approximately 500 +/- 10% words total and submitted during week 8.

To help you use Generative AI tools in a transparent, flexible, and responsible way, you are encouraged to explore the following practical framework that guides your ethical and effective AI use in your assessment. For this assessment, descriptor 2 is applied.

AI Assessment scale tool descriptors: 

1             No AI

The assessment is completed entirely without Al assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills

You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

2             AI PLANNING

Al may be used for pre-task activities such as brainstorming, outlining and initial research. This level focuses on the effective use of Al for planning, synthesis, and ideation, but assessments should emphasise the ability to develop and refine these ideas independently.

You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

3             AI COLLABORATION

Al may be used to help complete the task, including idea generation, drafting, feedback, and refinement. Students should critically evaluate and modify the Al suggested outputs, demonstrating their understanding.

You may use Al to assist with specific tasks such as drafting text, refining and evaluating your work. You must critically evaluate and modify any Al-generated content you use.

4             FULL AI

Al may be used to complete any elements of the task, with students directing Al to achieve the assessment goals.

Assessments at this level may also require engagement with Al to achieve goals and solve problems.

You may use Al extensively throughout your work either as you wish, or as specifically directed in your assessment. Focus on directing Al to achieve your goals while demonstrating your critical thinking.

5             AI EXPLORATION

Al is used creatively to enhance problem-solving, generate novel insights, or develop innovative solutions to solve problems. Students and educators co-design assessments to explore unique Al applications within the field of study.

You should use Al creatively to solve the task, potentially co-designing new approaches with your instructor

Rubric for written assessment:

This practical assessment will include both assessment and treatment components. Specifically, you may be asked to demonstrate motion palpation, and mobilisation or adjustive technique skills pertinent to the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand, and (possibly the) hip regions. This will be conducted at the end of Week 5

There are 3 sections to the practical assessment:

1. Hygiene, professionalism, patient handling, and consent

2. Technique

3. Overall impression

You must pass each section of the examination to obtain an overall pass grade.

AI Assessment scale tool descriptors: 

1 - No Gen AI

The assessment is completed entirely without Al assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills

You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Further, the 72-hour grace period does not apply.

This practical assessment will include both assessment and treatment components. Specifically, you may be asked to demonstrate motion palpation and mobilisation or adjustive technique skills pertinent to the hip, knee, ankle and foot regions. This will be conducted in Week 8.

There are 3 sections to the practical examinations:

1. Hygiene, professionalism, patient handling, and consent

2. Technique

3. Overall impression

You must pass each section of the examination to obtain an overall pass grade.

AI Assessment scale tool descriptors: 

1 - No Gen AI

The assessment is completed entirely without Al assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills

You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Further, the 72-hour grace period does not apply.

The in-class test will test theoretical knowledge presented across all weeks of this term. It will include a mix of question types to allow you to demonstrate your knowledge. The test will be run through Moodle but will take place on campus in a pre-booked computer lab (TBA).

AI Assessment scale tool descriptors: 

1 No Gen AI

The assessment is completed entirely without Al assistance in a controlled environment, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills

You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Further, the 72-hour grace period does not apply.

This assessment task will assess all unit learning outcomes, comprising lecture and tutorial material, which relate to the (chiropractic) management of extra-spinal abnormalities. It comprises clinical anatomy relevant to extra-spinal articulations, physical examination of extra-spinal joints, determining appropriate differential diagnoses and identifying appropriate therapeutic interventions. 

Specifically learning outcomes relate to:

1. Relate the clinical anatomy and potential functional changes relevant to extra-spinal articulations
2. Perform an appropriate physical examination of extraspinal joints, and determine appropriate differential diagnoses
3. Interpret changes in extra-spinal articulations and identify appropriate therapeutic interventions
4. Perform appropriate chiropractic techniques in the management of extraspinal abnormalities.