Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is an independent medical specialty, concerned with promotion of physical and cognitive functioning, activities, participation and modifying personal and environmental factors. It is, thus, responsible for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation management of people with disabling medical conditions and co-morbidity across all ages.
The main areas are diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation of painful musculoskeletal conditions and other conditions with long lasting pain, rehabilitation after trauma and diseases affecting the central nervous system, the respiratory- and cardiovascular system and rehabilitation after cancer and cancer treatment sequela.
The discipline builds upon a bio-psychosocial understanding, and the main purpose of the rehabilitation is to assist the patients in reaching their goals within function, activity and participation.
A physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist’s main tasks are treating, coordinating and implementing knowledge-based rehabilitation measures.
Diagnosing, information about diagnoses and prognoses, education, user participation and personal accountability are all central elements in a rehabilitation process.
Medical treatment, retraining, physical activity, adaption of technical and orthopedic aids, as well as environmental facilitation, including aspects related to work life, are other essential elements within this field.
The interdisciplinary working method requires cooperation and communication skills of practitioners.