Minireviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Methodol. Mar 20, 2025; 15(1): 95985
Published online Mar 20, 2025. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v15.i1.95985
Getting physical with medical education: Exercise based virtual anatomy review classes for medical students
Nadeesha R Samarasinghe, Taniya S Nagpal, Michele L Barbeau, Charys M Martin
Nadeesha R Samarasinghe, Division of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z3, BC, Canada
Taniya S Nagpal, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2R3, AB, Canada
Michele L Barbeau, Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Western Ontario, London N6A 3K7, ON, Canada
Charys M Martin, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London N6A 3K7, ON, Canada
Author contributions: Samarasinghe NR contributed to study design; Samarasinghe NR and Nagpal TS contributed to data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing and revision; Barbeau M and Martin CM contributed to study design, data analysis, manuscript revision.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Charys M Martin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London N6A 3K7, ON, Canada. charys.martin@schulich.uwo.ca
Received: April 24, 2024
Revised: August 7, 2024
Accepted: August 13, 2024
Published online: March 20, 2025
Processing time: 158 Days and 6.7 Hours
Abstract

The benefits of regular physical activity are well known. Yet, few studies have examined the effectiveness of integrating physical activity (PA) into curricula within a post-secondary setting. To investigate the incorporation of PA into medical curriculum, we developed a series of optional exercise-based review sessions designed to reinforce musculoskeletal (MSK) anatomy course material. These synchronous sessions were co-taught by a group fitness instructor and an anatomy instructor. The fitness instructor would lead students through both strength and yoga style exercises, while the anatomy instructor asked questions about relevant anatomical structures related to course material previously covered. After the sessions, participants were asked to evaluate the classes on their self-reported exam preparedness in improving MSK anatomy knowledge, PA levels, and mental wellbeing. Thirty participants completed surveys; a majority agreed that the classes increased understanding of MSK concepts (90.0%) and activity levels (97.7%). Many (70.0%) felt that the classes helped reduce stress. The majority of respondents (90.0%) agreed that the classes contributed to increased feelings of social connectedness. Overall, medical students saw benefit in PA based interventions to supplement MSK course concepts. Along with increasing activity levels and promoting health behaviours, integrating PA into medical curriculum may improve comprehension of learning material, alleviate stress and foster social connectivity among medical students.

Keywords: Medical education; Musculoskeletal; Anatomy; Exercise; Online learning

Core Tip: There is a paucity of evidence on the integration of physical activity (PA) with post-secondary curricula. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of exercise-based review sessions in reinforcing musculoskeletal (MSK) anatomy course content. It was found that overall, medical students saw benefit in PA based interventions to increase understanding of MSK concepts, reduce stress and increase activity levels. Therefore, integrating PA into medical curricula may not only supplement learning, but also promote healthy behaviour and supplement both physical and mental wellbeing.