Physiotherapy with alcohol and drug dependent patients: implications for general settings

This article focuses on some of the problems presented by alcohol and drug dependent patients and how physiotherapists can respond to them. Approaches used on the Medical Ward of the Clinical Institute of the Addiction Research Foundation (ARF) are presented. The attitude of the physiotherapist toward addictions is important, both in the rehabilitation of the patient's physical problem and in the treatment of his/her alcohol or drug problem. Questions about drug or alcohol use in a physiotherapy assessment can reveal important information about how the patient manages pain and add to understanding of other psycho-social considerations. A brief overview of the types of patient conditions commonly seen on the Medical Ward is given. This is followed by an outline of the ways in which withdrawal from drugs and alcohol is managed. Information is included about pathology related to alcohol abuse. Evidence that many alcohol-related neurological conditions are often reversible suggests that physiotherapists should be optimistic in their expectations about successful alcohol and drug treatment outcomes and should convey this optimism to their patients.