PHYSICAL THERAPY
Physiotherapy Specialties
Psychosomatic Physical Therapy
Body-Oriented Support for Mental and Physical Stress
Psychological stress and chronic illnesses often manifest physically as well. Chronic tension, changes in breathing, exhaustion, chronic or diffuse pain, or a feeling of alienation from one’s own body can severely impair daily life—even when psychiatric or psychotherapeutic treatment is already underway.
Psychosomatic physical therapy is intended as a body-oriented, regulating complement to psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care—particularly for conditions in which the body, nervous system, and mind are closely intertwined.
When is psychosomatic physical therapy appropriate?
This program is designed for people with mental or psychosomatic health issues in which the body plays a significant role or exacerbates symptoms, including:
- chronic pain without a sufficient structural explanation
- stress-related symptoms and exhaustion
- Anxiety Disorders and Panic
- Depression
- Burnout
- Breathing problems such as shallow breathing, shortness of breath without an organic cause, or persistent tension in the breathing
- psychosomatic pain
- Sleep disorders
- inner restlessness or persistent muscle tension
This body-centered approach can be particularly helpful for patients who find it difficult to process their distress primarily through language, or for whom pain, breathing, or physical tension are the primary concerns.
Often, those affected have already undergone numerous tests and treatments—without a satisfactory explanation or lasting improvement.
Our Approach to Physical Therapy
The focus is not on exercise or improving performance, but on regulating, becoming aware of, and stabilizing the nervous system. The therapy is tailored to the individual, resource-oriented, and conducted at a pace that matches the person’s current capacity.
Key Elements
Breathing Exercises and Autonomic Regulation
Targeted work on breathing rhythm, depth of breath, and breath awareness supports the regulation of the autonomic nervous system. This can help reduce anxiety, stress responses, feelings of shortness of breath, and inner restlessness, and help you regain a sense of calm and stability.
Body Awareness and Body Schema
Through mindful awareness of posture, tension, and movement, patients learn to perceive their bodies in a more nuanced way. This is particularly relevant for depression, exhaustion, chronic pain, dissociation, or trauma-related symptoms.
Tension Regulation and Pain Management
Chronic psychological stress often leads to persistent muscular hyperactivity and altered pain processing. Through targeted tension and relaxation techniques, participants learn to better perceive and influence tension and pain and to gradually reduce them—often with positive effects on pain, sleep, and breathing.
Movement-Based Stabilization
Simple, clearly structured movement sequences promote safety, predictability, and self-efficacy. The goal is to experience movement once again as supportive and regulating—not as an additional burden.
Resource-oriented, non-performance-based approach
The focus is on what is possible. Overwhelm is deliberately avoided, and pressure to perform plays no role. The therapy provides a safe space where physical sensations can once again be experienced as reliable and controllable.
The goal is not only to reduce pain, but also to improve function, physical capacity, and quality of life.
Teamwork
Psychosomatic physical therapy is provided in close coordination with psychiatry, psychotherapy, and pain medicine. It is not a substitute for psychiatric or psychotherapeutic treatment, but it can effectively complement, deepen, or prepare patients for such treatment.
The goal is to alleviate physical symptoms such as pain, breathing difficulties, and tension; to promote inner stability; and to strengthen patients’ self-regulation and self-efficacy.
Who is it particularly suitable for?
- People with mental illnesses and pronounced physical symptoms
- Patients with chronic or psychosomatic pain
- People with symptoms of stress, anxiety, or depression
- People with functional breathing problems
- Patients experiencing crises or periods of exhaustion
- as a complementary measure to psychiatry, psychotherapy, and pain medicine
Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Targeted Treatment for Acute and Chronic Musculoskeletal Conditions
Pain in the spine or joints is one of the most common reasons people seek physical therapy. The symptoms can appear suddenly, develop gradually, or persist after injuries or surgeries.
Many patients come in with the desire to:
- To relieve pain
- Regaining Mobility
- Achieving a sense of security in daily life or at work
- to regain strength after surgery
This is exactly where orthopedic physical therapy comes in.
Common Complaints and Concerns
Patients often report:
- Back or neck pain, acute or chronic
- Spinal pain, with or without radiating pain
- Joint pain (e.g., shoulder, hip, knee)
- Limited range of motion or stiffness
- muscle tension
- Unsteadiness when bearing weight or moving
- Persistent symptoms following surgery or injury
People often want clear guidance on what is possible—and what should be avoided.
When is orthopedic physical therapy recommended?
Orthopedic physical therapy is recommended for, among other things:
- acute back or joint pain
- chronic pain in the spine or joints
- degenerative changes (e.g., osteoarthritis)
- after spinal or joint surgery
- after injuries or prolonged immobilization
- muscular imbalances and improper loading
It is a key component of both conservative treatment and postoperative rehabilitation.
Our Approach to Physical Therapy
Orthopedic physical therapy is tailored to patients' specific symptoms, their tolerance for exercise, and their individual goals.
Key elements include:
- Targeted mobilization of the spine and joints
- Development and Coordination of Stabilizing Muscles
- Improving Mobility and Function
- Reduction of pain-related compensatory postures
- Guidelines for Everyday Physical Activity and Exercise
The treatment is structured in stages and adapted to the patient's individual recovery process.
Postoperative Physical Therapy
After spinal or joint surgery, targeted physical therapy is crucial to the healing process.
Postoperative physical therapy helps:
- Restoring Mobility
- Building Strength and Stability
- Gradual increase in resilience
- Safety in Daily Life and During Physical Activity
The treatment is carried out in close coordination with the treating orthopedic specialist.
Teamwork
At our facility, orthopedic physical therapy is integrated into an interdisciplinary treatment approach and is provided in close collaboration with:
- Orthopaedics
- Pain Medicine
- additional therapeutic specialties, as needed
The goal is a coherent, coordinated treatment approach that effectively combines medical and therapeutic aspects.
Our Mission
Our goal is to provide realistic, personalized physical therapy care.
Not every exercise is suitable for every phase—and not every movement is immediately beneficial.
We help patients regain confidence in their own bodies, reduce pain, and rediscover the benefits of movement.
Integrative Physical Therapy
A holistic approach incorporating osteopathic elements
Integrative physical therapy is a holistic, manual treatment approach that considers the body’s mobility, tension, and function in their interrelated context.
It combines traditional physical therapy techniques with osteopathic elements and—in cases of complex pain and tension—with neurophysiologically oriented approaches such as NPMP.
The goal is to identify and address restrictions in movement and patterns of tension in order to support the body’s and the nervous system’s ability to self-regulate.
At the Wilhelminenberg Medical Center, integrative physical therapy is used to complement medical and therapeutic care and is incorporated into an interdisciplinary treatment plan.
When might integrative physical therapy be beneficial?
Integrative physical therapy can be particularly helpful in treating functional and complex conditions, including:
- Musculoskeletal complaints without a clear structural cause
- chronic pain
- Back, neck, and joint pain
- Tension-type headaches
- Symptoms Following Injuries or Surgery
- complex pain and tension conditions involving the nervous system
- physical symptoms associated with stress and tension
- Functional disorders in childhood and adolescence
It is particularly suitable when symptoms cannot be clearly attributed to a single finding or when multiple factors—physical, neurological, and psychosocial—interact.
Our Integrative Physical Therapy Approach
Treatment is gentle, personalized, and explained in detail.
The focus is on a thorough manual examination that assesses mobility, tissue tension, neural regulation, and functional relationships.
Among other things, the following can be treated:
- Muscles and Fascia
- Joints and Spine
- Connective tissue and functional tension strands
- Neurophysiological tension and protective patterns
The treatment is generally not painful and is tailored to the patient's individual tolerance.
Neurophysiologically-Based Approaches (NPMP)
As part of our integrative physical therapy approach, we also use neurophysiologically based methods such as NPMP (Neurophysiological Muscle and Pain Therapy) to treat complex pain and tension conditions .
This approach is based on the assumption that chronic pain and persistent muscle tension are often maintained not so much by current structural damage as by overactive protective and alarm patterns in the nervous system.
NPMP involves gentle, precisely targeted manual work on muscles, fascia, and joints. The goal is to instill a sense of security in the nervous system, make patterns of tension perceptible, and gradually regulate them. The focus is not on strength, stretching, or improving performance, but rather on regulation, awareness, and adaptation to the individual’s capacity for stress.
This approach can be a valuable complement, particularly for patients with chronic, diffuse, or treatment-resistant pain; following injuries or surgeries; and in cases where pain, stress, and psychological strain overlap.
Osteopathic Elements in Integrative Physical Therapy
Osteopathic elements are a central component of integrative physical therapy.
Osteopathy is a manual, holistic treatment approach that views the body as a functional unit and assesses mobility, tissue tension, and functional relationships in their interplay.
The focus is also on a thorough manual examination to identify restrictions in muscles, fascia, joints, and functional tension patterns. The goal is to improve mobility, regulate tension, and support the body’s ability to self-regulate.
Who is it particularly suitable for?
- People with functional or chronic conditions
- Patients with complex or multifactorial pain and tension symptoms
- Children and adults for whom a gentle, holistic approach is appropriate
- as a supplement to medical, physical therapy, or pain management treatment
Our Mission
Our goal is the realistic and responsible application of integrative physical therapy methods—without making unrealistic promises, with clear indications, and transparent communication.
The goal is to relieve symptoms, improve mobility, and support the body's natural regulatory functions and resilience.
Headaches and facial pain
Headaches and facial pain can be extremely distressing. Many people who suffer from them find the pain agonizing and difficult to explain, and it is often misunderstood by those around them as “invisible” or “exaggerated.”
When pain dominates one’s thoughts, the next attack is feared, or everyday stimuli such as light, touch, or chewing become a burden, a feeling of helplessness often sets in.
In pain medicine, we take a differentiated approach to headaches and facial pain and recognize them as serious neurological and pain-related conditions.
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Patients
Our care is tailored to the different stages of life and challenges that people face when they come to us. We have identified four key areas in which we focus our medical and therapeutic services.