IFAS – Integrative Physiotherapy Association of Serbia is a professional, voluntary, and non-profit organization founded with the aim of advancing contemporary physiotherapy and improving health through an integrative approach to the body and movement.
The Association is headquartered in Belgrade and operates throughout the Republic of Serbia while actively developing international cooperation with professional and academic institutions worldwide.
IFAS brings together physiotherapists who recognize the need for the evolution of the profession toward a model that integrates science, clinical experience, and modern understandings of functional health.
The vision of IFAS is to support physiotherapists in reclaiming their essential role within the healthcare system as experts in movement, function, and rehabilitation.
Through continuous education, international collaboration, and the development of an integrative approach, IFAS contributes to aligning physiotherapy practice with contemporary European and global standards.
The mission of the Association is to:
organize continuous education and professional development programs for physiotherapists,
develop and promote integrative physiotherapy as a modern clinical approach,
cooperate with governmental institutions, universities, and healthcare organizations,
cooperate with governmental institutions, universities, and healthcare organizations,
build bridges between medical and scientific disciplines in the interest of public health,
foster active international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Integrative physiotherapy represents a contemporary approach that views the body as a functional whole. It integrates:
The goal is not only symptom reduction, but the restoration of the body’s capacity for adaptation, movement, and balance.
Our Objectives
IFAS actively works toward:
To achieve its objectives, the Association:
organizes seminars, congresses, workshops, and professional programs
develops continuing education programs for physiotherapists
publishes professional materials and digital educational resources
conducts research and pilot projects and participates in international congresses and professional networks
promotes professional mobility and knowledge exchange
takes part in public initiatives aimed at improving the professional status of physiotherapists
The work of IFAS is based on principles of professional responsibility, scientific evidence, and respect for patients.
IFAS educational programs are primarily intended for physiotherapists, while other professions may participate in programs that do not interfere with physiotherapy professional competencies.
IFAS actively develops collaboration with European and global organizations, universities, and professional networks in order to promote knowledge exchange, standardization of practice, and strengthening the role of physiotherapy within the modern healthcare system.
Integrative physiotherapy does not treat a body part — it restores intelligence to the whole.
IFAS – Integrative Physiotherapy Association of Serbia was founded by Dr Aleksandra Maksimović, a physiotherapist and integrative medicine practitioner with extensive clinical experience in manual therapy, rehabilitation, and functional biomechanics.
Through more than a decade of clinical work with patients, her professional focus has been directed toward understanding the body as an integrated system in which biomechanics, the nervous system, and the fascial network continuously interact and influence one another.
The development of IFAS emerged from the need to return physiotherapy to its scientific foundations while expanding it through contemporary interdisciplinary knowledge that responds to the complexity of modern human health.
Dr Maksimović’s professional work includes:
A central focus of her work is the clinical application of modern fascia research as a key regulatory system of movement and human adaptation.
Her scientific interests are focused on research in:
Her work involves developing models that connect clinical practice with contemporary research in biomechanics, fascia science, and integrative medicine.
The aim of this research is to contribute to the development of scientifically grounded integrative physiotherapy aligned with European academic standards.
Authorial Work and Publications
Dr Aleksandra Maksimović is the author of professional and educational works dedicated to understanding the functional intelligence of the human body and the role of the foot in global postural organization.
Her book on the foot presents an interdisciplinary approach integrating:
The publication is intended for both international professional and general audiences and represents a contribution to the contemporary understanding of the foot as a central regulator of movement.
The professional direction of IFAS is developed through collaboration and dialogue with international academic and professional communities, with the goals of:
The professional concept underlying IFAS is based on the understanding that:
Integrative physiotherapy represents the integration of science, clinical experience, and a deep understanding of the intelligence of the human body.
IFAS was established as a platform for a new generation of physiotherapists — professionals who connect the tradition of manual therapy with contemporary scientific understanding of fascia, movement, and physiological regulation.
Identity Statement
Physiotherapy today stands at an important turning point.
Modern society faces increasingly complex health challenges — chronic pain, movement disorders, stress, and the loss of the body’s functional balance. These challenges require a broader perspective on rehabilitation, one that goes beyond observing symptoms in isolation.
Through many years of clinical practice, it has become clear that the body does not function as a collection of separate structures, but as an intelligent, interconnected system in which fascia, the nervous system, and movement form a unified adaptive whole.
From this understanding, IFAS — the Integrative Physiotherapy Association of Serbia — was created.
IFAS was founded with the idea that physiotherapy should reclaim its natural place within the healthcare system: as a profession that understands movement, function, and the body’s capacity for regeneration.
Our mission is not only education, but also the creation of a professional community that connects science, clinical experience, and a modern integrative approach to health. We believe that the future of physiotherapy lies in collaboration — between disciplines, institutions, and cultures — while preserving the clear professional identity of physiotherapists.
IFAS represents a space for dialogue, development, and shared growth. A place where experience is exchanged, knowledge is advanced, and the profession is strengthened through mutual support and international cooperation.
Our goal is not to change physiotherapy from the outside, but to develop it from within — through knowledge, ethics, and responsibility toward patients and the profession.
We invite all colleagues who believe in modern, responsible, and integrative physiotherapy to join us in building the future of our profession.
Founder, IFAS Integrative Physiotherapy Association of Serbia
IFAS brings together physiotherapists who believe in modern, science-based, and integrative practice.
Join a professional community that develops standards, encourages international collaboration, and strengthens the identity of physiotherapy within the modern healthcare system.
