Name four medication categories that commonly impact PT safety.

• A. Anticoagulants/DOACs, antiplatelets, NSAIDs, and systemic corticosteroids.
• B. Antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and analgesics.
• C. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, mood stabilizers.
• D. Diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers.

Answer: (A)

Recognizing medication categories that commonly impact PT safety helps you plan treatment actions that minimize risk during sessions. Anticoagulants and DOACs thin the blood, so even light touch or manual therapy can cause significant bleeding. Antiplatelets further impair clot formation, increasing bleeding risk with any intervention or minor injury. NSAIDs can prolong bleeding by affecting platelet function and can irritate the GI tract or affect kidney function, which matters when scheduling hydration, monitoring, and pain management during therapy. Systemic corticosteroids can slow wound healing, raise infection risk, and over time contribute to osteoporosis and proximal muscle weakness, all of which influence how you advance therapy and select modalities.

While other groups include antimicrobials and analgesics, they don’t as consistently present broad safety concerns for PT across many patients as the four categories above. Analgesics can be relevant for pain management, but the combination of bleeding risk and healing/strength effects in the first group is the most impactful for PT safety.