From Medical Gymnastics to Physiotherapy
In the late 1950s, Sjukgymnastinstitutet was founded in Stockholm. Physiotherapists were trained there until 1977, when the institute was merged with Karolinska Institutet and the academicization of the subject began.
The Department of Physiotherapy was successful but rather small, which is why the head of department, Elisabeth Olsson, was encouraged by the President of Karolinska Institutet to merge the operation with another department. The choice fell on NVS, and the department became the Division of Physiotherapy. With the merger, NVS was expanded with an externally funded professor, several external research grants, and five research groups.
The research leaders at the division were Professor Karin Harms-Ringdahl (musculoskeletal system) and Associate Professors Helga Hirschfeld (movement analysis), Eva Mattsson (respiration and circulation), Christina H. Opava (then Stenström) (rheumatic diseases), and Lotta Widén-Holmqvist (neurological injuries and diseases).
Professor Karin Harms-Ringdahl played a particularly important role in the development of the division. She became a role model for many thanks to her excellent research and teaching, supervising countless degree projects at all levels, including doctoral studies. Karin Harms-Ringdahl also represented physiotherapy, health care science, and Karolinska Institutet in both external and internal contexts.
Two individuals who had Karin Harms-Ringdahl as a supervisor and mentor are Christina H. Opava and Lena Nilsson Wikmar.
”When I was diagnosed with rheumatism, I was 24 years old and rode my bike to the hospital. Once there, the treatment involved being wrapped in heat and preferably not moving the joints during muscle activity. I thought it was an unrealistic approach to treatment, which sparked my interest in the benefits of physical activity and exercise.”
Christina H. Opava joined the Department of Physiotherapy in 1994. Eventually, she founded her own research group, and throughout her career, she has maintained a strong focus on physical activity in rheumatic disease. Early on, she concentrated on the physical benefits of structured hospital-based exercise and how it could be performed safely. Later, her research shifted toward health-promoting physical activity both in daily life and in gym settings.
Within the PARA project (Physical Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis), her research group collaborated with the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register (SRQ), as well as clinics, fitness companies, and physiotherapists across the country. In this project, physiotherapists were trained to use behavioral science techniques to promote physical activity among patients, while their ability to do so was also studied.
Christina H. Opava has prioritized the so-called 'third mission'—to disseminate knowledge to the public—by promoting health-enhancing physical activity, including collaborating with the Swedish Rheumatism Association. One of her goals was to change clinical practice so that newly diagnosed individuals with rheumatoid arthritis would be encouraged to be physically active, which is now the standard approach.
As a researcher, she has maintained a strong focus on building international networks. Among other roles, she has served as Vice President of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology and has been a visiting professor at both the University of Missouri in Columbia, USA, and the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam College of Physiotherapy at the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences in Loni, India. Her group has regularly hosted international students who have completed their graduation projects at Karolinska Institutet.
The research connection is further strengthened
Lena Nilsson-Wikmar joined the Department of Physiotherapy as early as the beginning of the 1980s. During the 1990s, a large number of physiotherapists completed their doctoral degrees at the department, significantly strengthening the research connection of the subject.
Lena Nilsson-Wikmar’s research has spanned several areas, including pregnancy-related back problems, chronic pain, and traumatic spinal cord injury.
A particular focus has been on developing pedagogy to enhance student learning from both professional and interprofessional perspectives. She has devoted special effort to the Study Programme in Physiotherapy, with the aim of strengthening its research integration. She has also worked to enhance student-centered learning and the interaction between teachers and students.
Her strong commitment to education earned her The Karolinska Institutet Pedagogical Prize in 2018. Lena Nilsson-Wikmar has also initiated knowledge exchanges with several countries in Africa and has supervised several African doctoral students.
”The merger with NVS has benefited our profession. It provided the opportunity to interact with many other fields, such as geriatrics, occupational therapy, nursing, and general medicine, where you need to advocate for your own position. If you stay in your own bubble, you get no input.”
Physiotherapist – a Protected Professional Title
Since 2014, physiotherapist has been the new designation for the professional group previously known as sjukgymnaster in Sweden, and it is now a protected professional title. Today, the Division of Physiotherapy includes nine research groups and encompasses epidemiological, experimental, and translational studies, as well as clinical intervention and implementation research. New research findings are continuously integrated into physiotherapy education.
The division has strong collaboration with the healthcare sector, including through joint appointments with institutions such as Karolinska University Hospital and the Academic Primary Care Centre. Since 2002, the division has been located in the Zanderska Building in Flemingsberg (ANA23).