Birgitte Ahlsen

Birgitte Ahlsen is an Associate Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University's Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology. She is a qualified physiotherapist with extensive clinical experience in primary health care, specializing in treating patients with chronic muscle pain through narrative analysis and gender perspectives.

• Leader of Research Group (Re)habilitation – Individual, Services and Society
• Responsible for the Master’s specialization in psychomotor physiotherapy

Her research focuses on clinical encounters in physiotherapy, examining therapist-patient communication, knowledge negotiation, and the application of medical humanities frameworks to improve healthcare services. Key projects include:

• "Choosing wisely": Assessing treatment decisions for chronic musculoskeletal pain
• "To touch and be touched": Communication and interaction in physiotherapy practice
• Young adults with musculoskeletal pain: Exploring body-culture relationships in primary health care

Recent publications analyze fibromyalgia rehabilitation, psychomotor therapy for youth health disorders, and critical perspectives on physiotherapy practice. Her work integrates narrative analysis with clinical physiotherapy to address chronic conditions through patient-centered approaches.