Dr Christopher Holland

Head of Department for Sport Management, Therapy and Exercise

School of Sport and Exercise Science

Senior Leadership Team

Academics

Contact Details

email: c.holland@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905 542857

Christopher is a graduate Sports Therapist and joined the University of Worcester in April 2016. He has been teaching in Higher Education since 2005 across all areas of Sports Science and Sports Therapy, and has taught at degree, Master and PhD levels. He enjoys working with students from all backgrounds and abilities and feels privileged to support students through their academic journey.

Christopher has a background as a professional footballer with Bournemouth, Bristol City and Exeter City, as well as playing semi-professionally for a number of regional conference clubs. He has significant experience as both a Sports Therapist and Strength and Conditioning Coach across a variety of elite level sports, as well as within private clinical practice. A highlight of his time at the University of Worcester has been to lead the medical provision for the Worcester Wolves basketball teams including the Women’s Wheelchair Premier League and the Men’s BBL squad. He has also had similar experiences with national age group squads. During his career, he has had the opportunity to work with a variety of other healthcare professionals including Orthopaedic Surgeons, Team Doctors, Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Strength and Conditioning Coaches and Graduate Sports Therapists. He feels that collaborating with professionals from various disciplines allows integration of different perspectives and expertise to achieve optimal results for clients.

Christopher is a Director of the Society of Sports Therapists who accredit the Sports Therapy courses at the University. This esteemed position provides him with invaluable opportunities for collaboration, networking, and professional development, ultimately enhancing the educational experience of students pursuing a Sports Therapy degree at the University of Worcester.

Qualifications

PhD (University of Gloucestershire)
MSc Sports Therapy (London Metropolitan University)
PGDip Education (University of Bath)
PGCE Secondary Physical Education (University of Bath)
BA (Hons) Coach Education and Sports Development (University of Bath)
Level 3 First Response Emergency Care (FREC-3)
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA)
Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES)
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Teaching & Research

Teaching Interests

Christopher enjoys teaching all areas of Sports Therapy and has experience teaching on:

Sport and Exercise Physiology
Sports Massage Injuries and Illness
Manual Therapy for Sports Therapists
Sports Rehabilitation
Principles and Practice of Training
The Research Process
Clinical Placement
Massage and Injury Clinic Supervision

Research Interests

Christopher completed his PhD with a research title 'Joint Mobilisation and Home-Based Rehabilitation for the Treatment of Chronic Ankle Instability: Clinical Investigation and Practitioner Development’.

Christopher is also involved with several collaborative studies within the Sports Therapy discipline as well as supervising students on PhD and MPhil programmes.

Publications

Weaver, K., Northeast, L., Cole, M., Holland, C.J. and Cassius, T. (2023) Sports and Exercise Therapists – working across the physical activity spectrum (Editorial). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57 (13). ISSN Print: 0306-3674 Online: 1473-0480.

Cole, M., Holland, C.J. and Cassius, T. (2023) Inequalities across the physical activity landscape: the need for ‘structural humility’ to optimise sports and exercise medicine (Editorial). British Journal of Sports Medicine. ISSN 0306-3674.

Cole M., Holland C.J. and Cassius T. (2023) Inequalities across the physical activity landscape: the need for 'structural humility' to optimise sports and exercise medicine. British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-107196.

Holland, C.J., Hughes, J.D. and De Ste Croix, M.B.A. (2020) Acute Effects of Increased Joint Mobilization Treatment Duration on Ankle Function and Dynamic Postural Control in Female Athletes with Chronic Ankle Instability. The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 8(6): doi: 10.1177/2325967120927371.

Holland, C.J., Hughes, J.D. and De Ste Croix, M.B.A. (2019) The effect of joint mobilisation treatment dose on dynamic balance in those with chronic ankle instability. Abstracts for the 24^th Annual European College of Sports Science, 3-6 July 2019, Prague, Czech Republic.

Holland, C.J. and Godwin, M. (2019) The metabolic demand of external load carriage in golfers: A comparison of a single versus double-strap golf bag. J Sports Med Phys Fitness.

Holland, C. (2018) Physiology of Basketball Players and Teams. In: The Science of Basketball. Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, pp. 33-50. ISBN 9781138701540.

Holland, C.J., Hughes, J.D. and De Ste Croix, M.B.A. (2017) Effects of joint mobilisation to improve dorsiflexion range of motion in female team sports athletes. Abstracts for the XXVIth International Conference on Sports Rehabilitation and Traumatology, The Future of Football Medicine, 13-15 August 2017, Barcelona, Spain, Isokinetic Medical Group. ISBN 9788860285058.

Holland, C.J. (2016) Anteroposterior grade IV mobilisations of the talus confer greater residual effects on dorsiflexion range of motion as the duration of treatment increases. Podium presentation at the Association of Foot and Ankle Physiotherapists Annual Conference 2016, London, UK.

Holland, C.J., Campbell, K. and Hutt, K. (2015) Increased treatment durations lead to greater improvements in dorsiflexion range of motion for asymptomatic individuals immediately following an anteroposterior grade IV mobilisation of the talus. Manual Therapy. 29(4): 598-602.

Holland, C.J. and Mills, C.D. (2013) Profiling sports therapy students' preferred learning styles within a clinical education context. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. 9: 1-19.

Professional Bodies

Member of the Society of Sports Therapists (MSST)
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Player Member of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA)
Professional Member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist)

External Responsibilities

Director of the Society of Sports Therapists
Founding member of the Society of Sports Therapists Network for Engagement in Equity, Diversity and Social Structure Strategy (NEEDS) Group

External Examiner Experience

Buckinghamshire New University – BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy
University of Bolton - MSc Strength and Conditioning and MSc Sports Rehabilitation
University of Surrey - BSc (Hons) Sport Conditioning, Rehabilitation and Massage and BSc (Hons) Sport Science (Human Performance)