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First Clinical Forest Therapy Trail for Orthopedics and Multimodal Pain Therapy Sommerfeld Successfully Certified and Officially Opened

The Clinical Forest Therapy Trail for Orthopedics and Multimodal Pain Therapy Sommerfeld at Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld in Germany was successfully certified and officially opened on May 20, 2026.

INFOM is pleased to share this important milestone in its cooperation with the IM-WALD-SEIN® Institute for Forest Medicine and Forest Therapy (IWSI), Munich, Germany. IWSI has served as INFOM’s German Chapter since 2023 and works to promote science-based forest medicine and forest therapy in German-speaking countries. As the first certified Clinical Forest Therapy Trail of this kind in Germany, the Sommerfeld project demonstrates how forest medicine can be transferred from its scientific foundations into a quality-assured, medically and therapeutically structured clinical setting.

Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld is a specialized medical center for musculoskeletal disorders in Brandenburg, Germany. It combines acute orthopedic care and rehabilitation on one campus, with departments including operative orthopedics, manual medicine and pain medicine, spinal surgery, orthopedic rehabilitation, and pulmonary rehabilitation. According to official Sana figures, the specialist hospital records 7,737 inpatient and 867 outpatient cases annually, while the rehabilitation clinic records 3,220 inpatient cases annually.

The certified Clinical Forest Therapy Trail focuses on the structured integration of forest medicine and forest therapy into orthopedic rehabilitation and multimodal pain therapy. In this concept, the forest provides the therapeutic environment, while the certified procedure defines how it is used professionally, safely, and based on clear clinical indications for orthopedic rehabilitation patients and patients with chronic pain conditions.

The IM-WALD-SEIN® Institute develops science-based concepts and quality standards for the clinical use of forest therapy. Its IM-WALD-SEIN® Academy (IWSA) provides specialized training for medical and therapeutic professionals and designed the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail in Sommerfeld.

At Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld, a team of 12 specially trained forest therapists guides patients along the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail. Its stations are assigned according to individual treatment plans and integrated into established rehabilitation and pain therapy programs. Clinical Forest Therapy groups are now offered regularly twice a week. The therapeutic process supports mobilization, body awareness, mindful movement, pain regulation, psychophysiological stabilization, self-efficacy, and transfer into everyday life.

INFOM is part of the co-certifying body. Through this role, INFOM supports the international standard-setting and professional advancement of clinical forest therapy.

For further details, please visit the English project page of IWSI:
https://www.im-wald-sein.com/en/certified-partners/clinical-forest-therapy/sana-kliniken-sommerfeld

Following the successful pilot phase, Matthias Kloß, Managing Director of Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld, Dr. Melanie H. Adamek, Head of the IM-WALD-SEIN® Institute, and Chief Physician Dr. Volker Liefring officially open the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail Sommerfeld for regular clinical practice.

Chief physicians and therapists from all specialty departments of Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld are introduced to the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail Sommerfeld as a new patient-centered program and discuss its integration into clinical care.

Managing Director Matthias Kloß, Dr. Melanie H. Adamek, and Chief Physician Dr. Volker Liefring at the certification ceremony for the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail Sommerfeld, recognized as a “Certified Clinical Forest Therapy Trail for Orthopedics and Multimodal Pain Therapy according to the IWSI/INFOM Standard.”

The interdisciplinary forest therapy team of Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld, together with Sabine Oberg (right) and other representatives of the IM-WALD-SEIN® Academy, at the official opening of the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail Sommerfeld.

Dr. Volker Liefring, Chief Physician of the Department of Orthopedic Rehabilitation and Head of the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail Steering Committee at Sana Kliniken Sommerfeld, explains the therapeutic integration of the Clinical Forest Therapy Trail Sommerfeld to interested visitors.