Sunday, October 31, 2010
Norwegian Physiotherapist Association
Contact information
Norsk Fysioterapeutforbund
(Norwegian Physiotherapist Association)
P. O. B. 2704 St. Hanshaugen
0131 Oslo, NORWAY
Phone: +47 22 93 30 50
Fax: +47 22 56 58 25
nff@fysio.no
www.fysio.no
Please note: We regret to inform that The Norwegian Physiotherapist Association does not supply foreign students with sponsorships. Please do not make enquiries to us about this and/or related topics or about the Norwegian labour market. Letters of this sort will not be answered. We only offer service towards potential or excisting members (i.e. authorized physiotherapists).
Norwegian Physiotherapist Association (NPA) has more than 9500 members. It organises publicly certified physiotherapists and students. Both private practitioners and publicly employed physiotherapists are members. 77 % of the members are women. The main task of the NPA is working to improve member salaries and working conditions as well as stimulating professional development and quality. The association has 21 local branches. NPA is a member of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT).
NPA arranges on average 50 continuing education courses annually. The association publishes the journal Fysioterapeuten (The Physiotherapist) with 12 issues a year.
Specialists
600 NPA members have been granted the right to use one or more of the following titles:
- Specialist in General Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Paediatric Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Prevention and Ergonomics MNPA
- Specialist in Sports Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Manual Therapy MNPA
- Specialist in Oncologic Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Geriatric Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Cardio-Respiratory Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Neurologic Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Orthopaedic Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Obstetric and Gynecologic Physiotherapy MNPA
- Specialist in Rheumatologic Physiotherapy MNPA
- Paediatric and juvenile physiotherapy
- Ergonomics
- Gerontology/geriatric physiotherapy
- Manual therapy
- Mensendieck physiotherapy
- Neurology/orthopaedics/rheumatology
- Women's health
- Psychiatric and psychosomatic physiotherapy
- Sports physiotherapy
- Cardio-respiratory physiotherapy
- Oncologic physiotherapy
In Norway physiotherapy is protected by law. Norwegian citizens are entitled to get treatment from a physiotherapist if they need it. Both title and functions are legally defined. The physiotherapist is legally responsible for his or her own professional actions.
Physiotherapy constitutes prevention and treatment of disease and physical suffering. The physiotherapist has extensive knowledge of the parts of the body we use when we move i.e. muscles, tendons, joints, the circulatory system, and respiration. The main tasks of a physiotherapist are health promotion and disease prevention, treatment, training, and rehabilitation.
Health promotion and disease prevention
The physiotherapist knows why disease and injury occur, and can give advice on how to prevent pain and relapse of disease. The physiotherapist's work in health clinics, in nurseries, at schools and in work places is mainly preventive. A sub speciality within physiotherapy is ergonomics, which involves organising work environment. Many companies have their own physiotherapist who gives advice on how to promote health and to improve the environment and safety in the work place.
Treatment
First the physiotherapist performs a thorough examination; the type of treatment given depends on the patient's resources and the connection between pain, joint mobilisation and muscle tension. Training, exercise, massage, hot and cold treatment, or electrotherapy are among the types of treatment that can be given. The treatment is given either individually or in groups.
Many Norwegian physiotherapists have postgraduate training. The most common fields are manual therapy and psychiatric and psychosomatic physiotherapy. Physiotherapists who have been trained in manual therapy have special competence on neck, back and pelvic disorders. Following a thorough evaluation, the main elements in the treatment approach are patient guidance, joint manipulation or mobilization, and exercise therapy. Psychiatric and psychosomatic physiotherapy aims at easing physical tension, improving respiration, or body awareness. This kind of treatment is not only aimed at treating local symptoms, but is a continuous treatment. Many physiotherapist offer group treatment in psychiatric and psychosomatic physiotherapy.
Habilitation
The training of children with congenital dysfunction to a best possible level of functionality is called habilitation. This is interdisciplinary work where the physiotherapist is part of a habilitation team. Such teams are found in every region of the country. Habilitation takes place in the counties, at the hospitals and in special institutions.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is aimed at helping persons with handicaps or chronic disease so they can manage on their own and function socially. The aim of this process is for the patient to regain or preserve a best possible level of functionality through learning and by using own resources. The term rehabilitation is used about the work with patients from 16-18 years of age to the end of life. The patients may have been subject to accidents or disease. One such disease may be stroke, which is an example of a disease that demands interdisciplinary co-operation. Physiotherapists work with rehabilitation in the patient's home, in nursing homes, and in special institutions.
Where do Norwegian physiotherapists work?
The work of physiotherapists involves all parts of health care and the working life in general. The local communities are legally obliged to provide physiotherapy to its citizens. Among the members of the Norwegian Physiotherapist Association (NPA), there are 2,300 private practitioners and around 2,800 who are public employees (employed by the counties, regions, and state). A third category work in private companies, i.e. ergonomics. This applies to 500 of NPA's members.
Private practice
There are two types of physiotherapists with private practice in Norway: Those with and those without an agreement with the local county or community. Those who have an agreement with the community receive an annual contribution. (This is a fixed rate, in 2001 it is NOK 182.520). The local social security office also reimburses them. These physiotherapists operate with prices that are set by the "Price agreement". The other category of private practitioner operates without an agreement with the local community. They do not receive any contributions and are not reimbursed by the local social security office. They compensate by charging their patients more.
Public activity
In excess of 1,000 NPA members work in hospitals. Among the most important tasks they perform are mobility training after surgery, breathing exercises, pain therapy, and relaxation. Many physiotherapists are employed in health institutions (such as psychiatric institutions), or at rehabilitation centres. The different counties employ 1,500 of NAP's members. They work in health centres, in nurseries, in schools, and in the patient's homes. Physiotherapists also work in the fields of education, research and administration.
Education
In order to become a physiotherapist in Norway you need to study for three years in an institution of higher education, and also have one year of mandatory practise. Around 300 physiotherapists are educated in Norway each year. Traditionally, many Norwegians have studied physiotherapy abroad. Most of the students have gone to Denmark, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and the US. This trend is going to change from 2001, because the government has decided to withdraw grants to students who wish to study physiotherapy abroad.
There are five centres for educating physiotherapists in Norway:
Oslo University College, Faculty of HealthSciences
Department of Physiotherapy
Phone: +47 22 45 24 00
Oslo College, School of Health
Department of Mensendieck
Phone: +47 22 45 24 30
Sør-Trøndelag College, School of Health Education and Social Work
Department of Physiotherapy
Phone: +47 73 55 91 50
Bergen College, School of Health and Functionality
Department of Physiotherapy
Phone: +47 55 58 75 00
Tromsø College
Department of Physiotherapy
Phone: +47 77 66 06 01
Physiotherapist
Conditions of authorisation
For physiotherapists there are two normal situations relating to applications for licencing or authorisation:
- Authorisation: Authorisation is granted to applicants who have successfully completed their education/training as physiotherapist and who have completed the necessary "turnus" (practical service). The conditions for authorisation are stated in Health Personnel Act, section 48.
- Licence: A licence represents permission to practise as physiotherapists, but under certain conditions. A licence can be restricted in terms of e.g. duration and location, and can only be granted following concrete evaluation as to whether the licencee is capable of practising her/his professionally responsibly. A licence provides the holder with additional opportunities. Typically, a licence applies to foreign physiotherapists who are not in possession of basic education/training equivalent to that of Norwegian physiotherapists. But licences may also be granted to physiotherapists who have previously had their licences (official recognition) revoked, but who are in process of being reinstated.
Norway has through a special Nordic Agreement (not currently available in English) agreed to acknowledge authorisation of physiotherapists by other Nordic countries. In such cases, no assessment is made as to whether the qualification is the equivalent of the corresponding Norwegian qualification.
For applicants with education/training from other EEA countries, applications will be processed in accordance with Council Directive 89/48/EEC, cf. 92/51/EEC (with subsequent amendments). This does not grant right of recognition, but the Directive contains rules governing the granting of authorisation. These rules have been incorporated in a separate EEA Regulation of 21 December 2000, see Ch. VII. The main rule is that the education/training not deviate to any marked degree from the requirements as to competence laid down by Norwegian regulations (Norw. "rammeplan").
Applicants with other foreign qualifications as physiotherapists
For applicants with foreign qualifications from outside the EEA, it is required that such qualification be judged as the professional equivalent of Norwegian certificate, cf. Health Personnel Act, section 48, subsection 3a. Such assessment is made by the applicant's documentation of her/his own qualification as described in curricula, work experience etc. representing the equivalent of curricula related to Norwegian education/training (Norw. "rammeplan"). Applicants will be expected to be acquainted with Norwegian health services. In certain cases external advisers will assist SAFH in making an assessment. Advisers do not make the final decision but provide professional advice which SAFH takes into account when assessing applicants' qualifications. Only when foreign qualifications have been evaluated will processing of an application for authorisation be finalised.
Updated 23.08.2001
LEGISLATION
The legal basis for the decisions of the Norwegian Registration Authority for Health Personnel (SAFH) regarding authorisation or licences to health personnel is the The Health Personnel Act of 1999. This and other relevant acts may be found under Acts.
Regulations relating to details of authorisation, licensing and approval of specialists, issued pursuant to the Health Personnel Act, as well as some relevant regulations concerning requirements relating to education and immigration, are found under Regulations.
Applicants, whose education or training has been obtained in an EEA country other than Norway (European Union, Iceland, and Lichtenstein), are covered by the EEA rules concerning mutual recognition of training and authorisation, see under EEA / EU.
Applicants, whose education or training has been obtained in Switzerland, or who are citizens of Switzerland, are covered by the relevant rules in the agreement between Switzerland and the EU.
Decisions relating to approval of specialist training have been delegated to the professional organisations; see under Links/Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training.
Most categories of health personnel with authorisation from Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden are covered by the Agreement on a Common Nordic Labour Market for certain categories of health personnel and veterinarians. This agreement gives privileges which are more extensive than those following from the EEA Treaty. This agreement has not been translated into English.
All translations into English are unofficial. Only the Norwegian version of acts or regulations will be valid in a legal conflict.
Please note that although the regulations generally name the Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Affairs as the competent authority, in most cases this authority has been delegated to SAFH. As a general rule applications and queries from individual health personnel and relating to authorisation or licence should be submitted to SAFH. .
Last updated 30.12.2004
Friday, October 29, 2010
Swiss Ball : a story
Hello Everyone,
I am a versatile device, I was born in 1960's not from the human womb but from a human mind of a Italian Plastic Company.
I have different names, but I am famous only after a name coined by a Physiotherapist from United States in 1980's.
Some says I am being used extensively in Switzerland, So they call me in that name.
"I am" being widely used around the world now a days, from light aerobic classes to professional athletic training institutions, as more and more people learn the benefits of using "ME".
Many movement scientists (Physiotherapists) says various benefits can be expected from using "ME" like
How one can Choose "MY" Correct Size
Height Ball size required
Up to 5'6" 55 cm (22 inches)
5'7"- 6'." 65 cm (26 inches)
6'1"- 6'9" 75 cm (30 inches)
Found any Clue ??
"I am"
"The Swiss Ball"
I am a versatile device, I was born in 1960's not from the human womb but from a human mind of a Italian Plastic Company.
I have different names, but I am famous only after a name coined by a Physiotherapist from United States in 1980's.
Some says I am being used extensively in Switzerland, So they call me in that name.
"I am" being widely used around the world now a days, from light aerobic classes to professional athletic training institutions, as more and more people learn the benefits of using "ME".
Many movement scientists (Physiotherapists) says various benefits can be expected from using "ME" like
- Enhanced Balance
- Improved Posture & support around joints
- Greater Muscle strength, power & endurance
- Greater Flexibility and Range of Movement in Joints
- Improved metabolism, Body weight control
- Prevention of muscle and Joint Atrophy (Loss of Muscle Mass) caused by ageing
- Reduced Risk of Injury
How one can Choose "MY" Correct Size
Height Ball size required
Up to 5'6" 55 cm (22 inches)
5'7"- 6'." 65 cm (26 inches)
6'1"- 6'9" 75 cm (30 inches)
Found any Clue ??
Yes,
"I am"
"The Swiss Ball"
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Physical Therapist Relationship with the Family of CP child
The role of the primary treating physical therapist, especially for the young child between the ages of 1 and 5 years, will incorporate the typical role that the grandmother and the general pediatrician play for normal children. In addition, the therapist fulfilling this role must have knowledge and experience in dealing with children with CP. This role model involves time spent teaching the parents how to handle and do exercises with their child. This role also involves helping the parents sort out different physician recommendations, encouraging the parents, and showing and reminding parents of the positive signs of progress in the child’s development. When this role works well, it is the best therapeutic relationship a family has. The positive aspects of this role are providing the parents with insight and expectations of their child, reassuring the family that they are providing excellent care, and being readily available to answer the family’s questions.
The “grand mothering” role of the therapist has associated risks. One of the greatest risks in our current, very unstable medical environment is that a change in funding or insurance coverage may abruptly end the relationship. An abrupt change can be very traumatic to a family. The therapist must be careful not to be overly demanding of the family, but to help the family find what works for them. Occasionally, a therapist may be fixated on a specific treatment program and believe that it is best for the child; however, the parents may not be in a situation to follow through with all this treatment.
The parents feel guilty, and the therapist may try to use this guilt to get them
to do more. The physical therapist in this role as a therapeutic “grandmother” can help parents sort out what medical care and choices are available. The therapist can help parents by attending physician appointments and making the parent ask the right questions, which is often not possible because of funding restrictions. The physical therapist must not give specific medical advice beyond helping parents get the correct information. Therapists with extensive experience should recognize that they have great, detailed, and deep experience with a few children and that generalizing from the experience of one child is dangerous. We have heard therapists tell parents on many occasions that their child should never have a certain operation because the therapist once saw a child who did poorly with that surgery. This type of advice is inappropriate because one child’s experience may have been a rare complication of the operation. Also, there are many different ways of doing surgery. This would be like telling someone to never get in a car again after seeing a car accident. A more appropriate response to the family would be giving them questions to ask the doctor specifically about the circumstance with which the therapist is concerned and has experience.
Another physical therapist therapeutic relationship pattern is the purely clinical relationship in which the therapist thinks the family is incompetent, unreliable, or irresponsible and only wants to deal with the child. Almost invariably, this same therapist next will complain that the family and child never do the home exercise program or that the child is not brought to therapy regularly. This relationship may work for a school-based therapist or a therapist doing inpatient therapy, but it leads to great frustration for both the therapist and family when it is applied to an outpatient-based, ongoing developmental therapy. In this environment, the therapist must try to understand and work within the family’s available resources.
The “grand mothering” role of the therapist has associated risks. One of the greatest risks in our current, very unstable medical environment is that a change in funding or insurance coverage may abruptly end the relationship. An abrupt change can be very traumatic to a family. The therapist must be careful not to be overly demanding of the family, but to help the family find what works for them. Occasionally, a therapist may be fixated on a specific treatment program and believe that it is best for the child; however, the parents may not be in a situation to follow through with all this treatment.
The parents feel guilty, and the therapist may try to use this guilt to get them
to do more. The physical therapist in this role as a therapeutic “grandmother” can help parents sort out what medical care and choices are available. The therapist can help parents by attending physician appointments and making the parent ask the right questions, which is often not possible because of funding restrictions. The physical therapist must not give specific medical advice beyond helping parents get the correct information. Therapists with extensive experience should recognize that they have great, detailed, and deep experience with a few children and that generalizing from the experience of one child is dangerous. We have heard therapists tell parents on many occasions that their child should never have a certain operation because the therapist once saw a child who did poorly with that surgery. This type of advice is inappropriate because one child’s experience may have been a rare complication of the operation. Also, there are many different ways of doing surgery. This would be like telling someone to never get in a car again after seeing a car accident. A more appropriate response to the family would be giving them questions to ask the doctor specifically about the circumstance with which the therapist is concerned and has experience.
Another physical therapist therapeutic relationship pattern is the purely clinical relationship in which the therapist thinks the family is incompetent, unreliable, or irresponsible and only wants to deal with the child. Almost invariably, this same therapist next will complain that the family and child never do the home exercise program or that the child is not brought to therapy regularly. This relationship may work for a school-based therapist or a therapist doing inpatient therapy, but it leads to great frustration for both the therapist and family when it is applied to an outpatient-based, ongoing developmental therapy. In this environment, the therapist must try to understand and work within the family’s available resources.
Water for Fat Loss
If you don’t drink enough water you can actually get fatter. I have put this sentence right upfront because I know what works on you. So now that I have your attention, I will take it from the beginning. Water makes up 55 to 75% of your total bodyweight. Your blood is made up of ninety percent water. Reduction in 10 % of water can make you sick and 20% can cause a death.
If you do not provide enough water to your Kidney’s, your liver becomes forced to detoxify toxins. When your liver takes on this role, then your liver becomes less effective in completing it’s other jobs including metabolizing the food that you eat.
It is important that you drink enough water so that your liver can do it’s job to metabolize body fat as efficiently as possible.
If you don’t drink enough water then extra glucose remains in the blood until it reaches the liver at which point this glucose becomes stored as fat instead of glycogen. All of this nastiness can be avoided by drinking a healthy amount of water.
It is recommended that you drink plenty of water on a daily basis – make sure to drink water 20 minutes before exercising to ensure that your body is properly hydrated. It is also recommended to drink water after high carbohydrate meals. You don’t have to wait until your body signals you that you are thirsty. By the time you realize you are thirsty you are already dehydrated.
One of the best ways to check if you are dehydrated is to check your urine. Relax – just a quick glance below can tell you what you need to know. If your urine is dark with a strong smell then chances are you are dehydrated. The lighter and clearer it appears the better. If you really feel like you have to go to the toilet, but only pass a small amount of urine, this could also signal that your body needs water.
Our muscles are made up of up 70 to 80% water. You can very quickly see why drinking enough water is vital for performance.
If you do not provide enough water to your Kidney’s, your liver becomes forced to detoxify toxins. When your liver takes on this role, then your liver becomes less effective in completing it’s other jobs including metabolizing the food that you eat.
It is important that you drink enough water so that your liver can do it’s job to metabolize body fat as efficiently as possible.
If you don’t drink enough water then extra glucose remains in the blood until it reaches the liver at which point this glucose becomes stored as fat instead of glycogen. All of this nastiness can be avoided by drinking a healthy amount of water.
It is recommended that you drink plenty of water on a daily basis – make sure to drink water 20 minutes before exercising to ensure that your body is properly hydrated. It is also recommended to drink water after high carbohydrate meals. You don’t have to wait until your body signals you that you are thirsty. By the time you realize you are thirsty you are already dehydrated.
One of the best ways to check if you are dehydrated is to check your urine. Relax – just a quick glance below can tell you what you need to know. If your urine is dark with a strong smell then chances are you are dehydrated. The lighter and clearer it appears the better. If you really feel like you have to go to the toilet, but only pass a small amount of urine, this could also signal that your body needs water.
Our muscles are made up of up 70 to 80% water. You can very quickly see why drinking enough water is vital for performance.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Pehr Henrik Ling
Per Henrik Ling (15 November 1776–3 May 1839) was a developer and teacher of Swedish medical-gymnastics.
His journey then took him to Germany, France and England during which he continued to acquire more knowledge on his friend's special "gymnastics" or exercises designed to improve the strength, flexibility and overall stamina necessary to his fencing passion. Financial difficulties, joint (overuse) injuries and rheumatism caused him to return to Sweden where he took the time to heal himself by applying these pressing-pulling and squeezing exercises and maneuvers he had learned.
After several attempts to interest the Swedish government, Ling at last obtained government co-operation in 1813, when the Royal Gymnastic Central Institute for the training of gymnastic instructors was opened in Stockholm, with Ling appointed as principal. The orthodox medical practitioners were naturally opposed to the larger claims made by Ling and his disciples concerning cures of diseases, so far at least as anything more than the occasional benefit of some form of skillfully applied massage and maneuvers was concerned; But the fact that in 1831 Ling was elected a member of the Swedish General Medical Association (Svenska läkaresällskapet) shows that in his own country at all events his methods were regarded as consistent with professional recognition. He was elected a member of the Swedish Academy in 1835 and became a titular professor the same year.
Ling and his earlier assistants left no proper written account of their treatment, and most of the literature on the subject is repudiated by one set or other of the gymnastics practitioners. The origins and greatest influences of Dr Ling's work was certainly those of his Chinese friend "Ming" who had introduced him to Tuina and martial arts. The loss of filiation with these oriental influences were uncovered inadvertently by Johan Georg Mezger (1838–1909) who coined a reduced set of maneuvers and techniques of Dr. Ling's system as the "Swedish massage" system. These techniques were effleurage (long, gliding strokes), petrissage (lifting and kneading the muscles), friction (firm, deep, circular rubbing movements), tapotement (brisk tapping or percussive movements), and vibration (rapidly shaking or vibrating specific muscles). These are also basic techniques of tui na and Chinese massage.
Ling's system of medical gymnastics also influenced later institutions and systems. The Gymnastic Orthopedic Institute was founded in Stockholm in 1822 by Nils Åkerman, which after 1827 received a government grant. Around 1857, Gustaf Zander elaborated a medico-mechanical system of gymnastics, known by his name, and started his Zander Institute at Stockholm in 1865. At the Stockholm Gymnastic Central Institute, qualified medical men have supervised the medical department since 1864. The course is three years; one year for qualified doctors.
Broadly speaking, there have been two streams of development in the Swedish gymnastics founded on Ling's beginnings, either in a conservative direction, making certain forms of gymnastic exercises subsidiary to the prescriptions of orthodox medical science, or else in an extremely progressive direction, making these exercises a substitute for any other treatment, and claiming them as a cure for disease by themselves. A representative of the latter, more extreme, section was Henrik Kellgren (1837–1916), who had a special school and following.
Other variants and accounts of Dr Ling's practice and philosophies were published: a Handbook of Medical Gymnastics (English edition, 1899) by Anders Wide of Stockholm represents the more conservative practice. Henrik Kellgren's system, which, though based on Ling's, admittedly goes beyond it, is described in The Elements of Kellgren's Manual Treatment (1903) by Edgar F. Cyriax, who, before taking the MD degree at Edinburgh, had passed out of the Stockholm Institute as a gymnastic director. See also the encyclopedic work Sweden: its people and its industry: historical and statistical handbook (1904), p. 348, edited by Gustav Sundbärg for the Swedish government.
[edit] Early life
Ling was born at Ljunga in the south of Sweden in 1776, the son of a minister, Lars Peter Ling, and the former Hedvig Maria (Hedda) Molin. Through his mother, he was a great-great grandson of the famous Swedish scientist Olof Rudbeck (1630–1702), discoverer of the human lymphatic system. After graduating from Växjö gymnasium in 1792, he studied theology at Lund University from 1793, but went to Uppsala University and completed his degree there in 1797.[edit] Travels and Mr. Ming
Ling then went abroad during seven years: on his first voyage he befriended a certain "Ming", a Chinese fellow who was both a martial artist and tui na practitioner.[citation needed] They soon became fencing and exercise partners in Copenhagen, where Ling studied at the University of Copenhagen and taught modern languages. During the first four years of his voyage Ling had received much guidance by his Chinese friend, specifically on fighting, exercise and health philosophies that fascinated him for their amazing integration and efficiency.His journey then took him to Germany, France and England during which he continued to acquire more knowledge on his friend's special "gymnastics" or exercises designed to improve the strength, flexibility and overall stamina necessary to his fencing passion. Financial difficulties, joint (overuse) injuries and rheumatism caused him to return to Sweden where he took the time to heal himself by applying these pressing-pulling and squeezing exercises and maneuvers he had learned.
[edit] Teaching
Having established himself as a teacher in these arts at Lund, Ling was appointed fencing-master to the Uppsala University (1805). He found that his daily exercises had completely restored his bodily health, and his thoughts now turned towards applying this experience for the benefit of others. He saw the potential for adapting these techniques to promote better health in many situations and thus attended classes on anatomy and physiology, and went through the entire curriculum for the training of a doctor. He then elaborated a system of gymnastics, exercises and maneuvers, divided into four branches, (1) pedagogical, (2) medical, (3) military, (4) aesthetic, which carried out his theories and would demonstrate the required occidental scientific rigor to be integrated or approved by established medical practitioners.After several attempts to interest the Swedish government, Ling at last obtained government co-operation in 1813, when the Royal Gymnastic Central Institute for the training of gymnastic instructors was opened in Stockholm, with Ling appointed as principal. The orthodox medical practitioners were naturally opposed to the larger claims made by Ling and his disciples concerning cures of diseases, so far at least as anything more than the occasional benefit of some form of skillfully applied massage and maneuvers was concerned; But the fact that in 1831 Ling was elected a member of the Swedish General Medical Association (Svenska läkaresällskapet) shows that in his own country at all events his methods were regarded as consistent with professional recognition. He was elected a member of the Swedish Academy in 1835 and became a titular professor the same year.
[edit] Legacy
Ling died in 1839, having previously named as the repositories of his teaching his pupils Lars Gabriel Branting (1799–1881), who succeeded him as principal of the Institute, and August Georgii, who became sub-director; his son, Hjalmar Ling (1820–1886), being for many years associated with them. All these, together with Major Thure Brandt, who from about 1861 specialized in the treatment of women (gynecological gymnastics), are regarded as the pioneers of Swedish medical gymnastics.Ling and his earlier assistants left no proper written account of their treatment, and most of the literature on the subject is repudiated by one set or other of the gymnastics practitioners. The origins and greatest influences of Dr Ling's work was certainly those of his Chinese friend "Ming" who had introduced him to Tuina and martial arts. The loss of filiation with these oriental influences were uncovered inadvertently by Johan Georg Mezger (1838–1909) who coined a reduced set of maneuvers and techniques of Dr. Ling's system as the "Swedish massage" system. These techniques were effleurage (long, gliding strokes), petrissage (lifting and kneading the muscles), friction (firm, deep, circular rubbing movements), tapotement (brisk tapping or percussive movements), and vibration (rapidly shaking or vibrating specific muscles). These are also basic techniques of tui na and Chinese massage.
Ling's system of medical gymnastics also influenced later institutions and systems. The Gymnastic Orthopedic Institute was founded in Stockholm in 1822 by Nils Åkerman, which after 1827 received a government grant. Around 1857, Gustaf Zander elaborated a medico-mechanical system of gymnastics, known by his name, and started his Zander Institute at Stockholm in 1865. At the Stockholm Gymnastic Central Institute, qualified medical men have supervised the medical department since 1864. The course is three years; one year for qualified doctors.
Broadly speaking, there have been two streams of development in the Swedish gymnastics founded on Ling's beginnings, either in a conservative direction, making certain forms of gymnastic exercises subsidiary to the prescriptions of orthodox medical science, or else in an extremely progressive direction, making these exercises a substitute for any other treatment, and claiming them as a cure for disease by themselves. A representative of the latter, more extreme, section was Henrik Kellgren (1837–1916), who had a special school and following.
Other variants and accounts of Dr Ling's practice and philosophies were published: a Handbook of Medical Gymnastics (English edition, 1899) by Anders Wide of Stockholm represents the more conservative practice. Henrik Kellgren's system, which, though based on Ling's, admittedly goes beyond it, is described in The Elements of Kellgren's Manual Treatment (1903) by Edgar F. Cyriax, who, before taking the MD degree at Edinburgh, had passed out of the Stockholm Institute as a gymnastic director. See also the encyclopedic work Sweden: its people and its industry: historical and statistical handbook (1904), p. 348, edited by Gustav Sundbärg for the Swedish government.
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