According to the Order of the Rector of UWM in Olsztyn, as a result of changes in the organizational structure of the Faculty of Medicine, on 01.02.2020 the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology was liquidated, and the Department of Rehabilitation, which had existed since 2008, changed its name to the Department of Rehabilitation and Orthopedics. The Head of the Department has been prof. Ireneusz M. Kowalski MD, PhD.
The purpose of establishing the Department was to provide a base for scientific and research activities and teaching in the field of medical rehabilitation and orthopedics with traumatology.
Within the structures of the Department of Rehabilitation and Orthopedics are:
- Clinical Department of Rehabilitation and Neurological Rehabilitation with a Day Rehabilitation Center at the Regional Specialized Children's Hospital in Olsztyn
- Clinical Department of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Spine Surgery at the Regional Specialist Hospital in Olsztyn
The Department educates students in the field of medicine, nursing, dietetics and emergency medicine. As the part of the didactics, the following subjects are taught: Rehabilitation (for the 4th year of Medical Polish and English students), Problem Based Learning (for the 1st Year of Medical Polish and English students), General Psychology
(1st year of Dietetics), Clinical Psychology (2nd year of Dietetics and 2nd year of Emergency Medicine), Psychology of eating disorders with the elements of psychodietetics (3rd year of Dietetics), Rehabilitation and nursing of the disabled people (3d year of Nursing). The employees of the Department of Rehabilitation are the authors of two faculties: Psychology of eating disorders and Backache - prevention, therapy in theory and practice.
Scientific and research activity concerns wide scope of medical rehabilitation. It includes comprehensive and team work for the disabled people.
The main scope for research covers/covered the following:
- The implementation of a new rapid method of lateral surface electrical stimulation (LESS) for the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis in children and adolescents.
- The use of LESS method to cause and cure the experimental model of scoliosis in rabbits.
- The development of the modifications in kinesiotherapy for the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis in children and adolescents.
- The development of a rehabilitation protocol for the treatment of spinal compression fractures in biological age.
- The development guidelines for the hospital rehabilitation in biological age.
- The analysis of the suitability of innovative and traditional measuring devices in the diagnosis and the assessment of the conservative treatment of spinal deformities effectiveness.
- Environmental and nutrition research.
- Electrochemical and electrotechnical studies in medicine.
- The analysis of the children's development resources in early childhood.
- The studies on the autonomous system of the collection and analysis of pressure forces exerted by a Cheneau orthopedic brace.