Introduction: Pharmacology
[Ciccone CD. Introduction:pharmacology.
Phys Ther. 1995;75:342]
Charles D Ciccone
As physical therapists, we often encounter patients who are taking various medications. We would, in fact, be hard-pressed to identify any patient population receiving physical therapy that has not received some type of pharmacologic treatment. In some cases, drug therapy and physical therapy have synergistic goals; that is, medications are administered to treat the same condition being treated with physical therapy. Likewise, medications may be administered to treat preexisting conditions that are not directly related to the condition being treated with physical therapy, but these medications can nonetheless have an impact on the patient's response to rehabilitation. Hence, we have become increasingly aware that pharmacology and physical therapy are inextricably linked to each other and that pharmacology is an area of patient management that should be examined in our literature. This special series provides some insights as to how pharmacology relates to physical therapy. Pharmacology, however, is a broad area of study that ranges from basic sciences that investigate the development and effects of drugs on a molecular level to clinical studies that assess the effects of specific medications on specific pa-
tient populations. We obviously cannot cover such a broad range of topics in a single special series, and this series of articles is not a compendium of the pharmacologic agents or drug applications that are related to physical therapy. We have, however, selected certain topics that help illustrate how these two areas of therapeutics are intercepted and how pharmacology can especially influence how we practice as physical therapists. Many of the articles in this special series describe the pharmacologic treatment of specific clinical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. These conditions were selected because drug therapy is one of the mainstays of treating the condition and because drug therapy often has a direct impact on physical therapy. Physical therapy evaluation without consideration of the role of pharmacological agents would, therefore, be inappropriate for these patients. Other articles discuss pertinent topics, including relatively new pharmacologic techniques used to manage pain and reflex activity. Practice issues are considered in an article that describes how physical therapists prescribe certain medications in a military set-
ting. Procedures used by therapists to apply medications are discussed in articles that deal with wound care and the use of techniques such as iontophoresis and phonophoresis. Hence, the diversity of the topics represented in this special series illustrates the many ways that pharmacology affects physical therapy practice. All articles were authored or coauthored by physical therapists, and I am extremely grateful that all the contributors took the time to share their expertise with our readers. Thanks also to all the reviewers who participated in the development of these articles, and who often altered their personal schedules to meet the deadlines inherent to this type of project. I hope that readers will find these articles interesting, relevant, and helpful in expanding our knowledge about the ways that pharmacology interacts with physical therapy. Finally, a great deal of credit for this special series goes to Maria Granite, Manuscripts Coordinator, Stephen Brooks, Assistant Editor, and Alan Jette, PhD, PT, Deputy Editor. This project afforded me insight to the extraordinary efforts that these individuals and other members of the Physical Therapy staff routinely make to bring each issue of the Journal to our readers. I think these efforts have produced an excellent special series, and I would again like to thank everyone who participated in this project.
CD Ciccone, PhD, PT, is Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Science and Human Performance, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 14850 (USA).
Physical Therapy/Volume 75, Number 5/May 1995
342/11