Power Dynamics of Knowledge in Physiotherapy Education: The Case of Mensendieck

Abstract

Over the years, various theorized movement systems have impacted the development of physiotherapy. In Norway, Mensendieck developed into an otherwise physiotherapy program. The existence of the Mensendieck program has been debated ever since its inception, but it managed to survive for decades, until 2019, when the program no longer was offered as a standalone option. In the Mensendieck program, personal experience combined with guiding movement was essential. Students were trained to perform exercises in the Mensendieck system and leading their own movement group was part of their physiotherapist training. The learning process was organized in a hermeneutic manner through the learning principle of spiral wherein learners revisit earlier learning over time. In higher education healthcare programs, the evidence-based practice model (EBPM) has become paramount in recent decades and the curricula are expected to be designed accordingly. In this chapter, we explore the emphasized knowledge in the Mensendieck program in relation to the power dynamics of knowledge embedded in the EBPM. Through a Foucauldian lens, we show how Mensendieck embodied an “otherwise” form of physiotherapy that needed to be marginalised within conventional physiotherapy thinking to maintain existing power/knowledge structures, professional subjectivities, and practice truths.