Cold compression therapy

Cold Compression Therapy combines two of the principles of R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) to reduce pain and swelling from a sports or activity injury to soft tissues and recommended by orthopedic surgeons following surgery. The therapy is especially useful for sprains, strains, pulled muscles and pulled ligaments.

Cold Compression

Cold Compression is a combination of cryotherapy and static compression, commonly used for the treatment of pain and inflammation after acute injury or surgical procedures.

Cryotherapy, the use of ice or cold in a therapeutic setting, has become one of the most common treatments in orthopedic medicine. The primary reason for using cryotherapy in acute injury management is to lower the temperature of the injured tissue, which reduces the tissue's metabolic rate and helps the tissue to survive the period following the injury. It is well documented that metabolic rate decreases by application of cryotherapy..

Static Compression is often used in conjunction with cryotherapy for the care of acute injuries. To date, the primary reason for using compression is to increase external pressure on the tissue to prevent edema formation (swelling). This occurs by hindering fluid loss from the vessels in the injured area, making it more difficult for fluids to accumulate. Ice with compression is significantly colder than ice alone due to improved skin contact and increased tissue density caused by extended static compression. Tissue reaches its lowest temperature faster and the tissue maintains its cool even after treatment ends.

Cold Compression Devices

Continuous Cold Therapy Devices (also called ice machines)which circulate ice water through a pad are currently the subject of class action law suits for skin and tissue damage caused by excessive cooling/icing time and lack of temperature control. Reported injuries range from frost-bite to severe tissue damage resulting in amputation. Device Brand Names include: DonJoy Iceman, BREG Polar Care, and EBice cold therapy systems.

Studies have shown that the body activates the hunting response after only 10 minutes of cryotherapy, at temperatures less than 49F. The hunting response is a cycle of vasoconstriction (decreased blood flow), then vasodilation (increased blood flow) that increases the delivery of Oxygen and nutrient rich blood to the tissue. Increased blood flow can slow cell death, limit tissue damage and aid in the removal of cellular debris and waste products. Under normal circumstances the hunting response would be essential to tissue health but only serves to increase pain, inflammation and cell death as excess blood is forced into the area.

Cold Compression Wraps

Cold compression wraps using either re-freezable ice or gel are a much safer product, as such products do not exceed the cooling/icing time recommended by the established medical community. Many of the ice wraps available use adjustable elastic straps to aid in compression over the injured areas. More advanced single-use wraps have guidelines to indicate how the bandage should be applied in order to achieve optimum compression required for an acute injury. Most ice wraps that use ice, have a built-in protective layer, so ice is not applied directly to the skin, which can result in a burn to the area sometimes known as a "cryoburn". Popular brands of ice wraps include: Recoverice , Cold One, Cool Relief, Pro Ice, Trainers Pick, Icy Cools, Neo-ice (新冰) etc.

See also

• Eczema
• Rotator cuff
• Torn rotator cuff
• Tennis elbow
• Achilles tendinitis
• Repetitive strain injury
• Plantar fasciitis
• Sprain
• Strain (injury)

References

• J Arthoplasty, 2006 Dec:21 (8):1175-9
• Orthopedics, 1998 Jan:21 (1): 59-61
• Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research, 1993: Dec 297:174-178
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 34: 1953-1969 (2006)
• American Journal of Sports Medicine 27: 357-362 (1999)
• American Journal of Sports Medicine 29: 288-291) (2001)

This medical treatment-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: First aid Overuse injuries Inflammations Medical treatment stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Elliot Omozusi White Auditorium Look at other dictionaries: Compression therapy — may refer to: Attachment therapy, a loosely identified category of mental health interventions Cold compression therapy, to reduce pain and swelling from a sports or activity injury This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same …   Wikipedia Attachment therapy — This article is about a specific form of therapy commonly known as attachment therapy . For therapies based on Bowlby s attachment theory, see Attachment based therapy (children). Attachment therapy is the most commonly used term for a… …   Wikipedia Physical therapy — Infobox Disease Name = Physical therapy Caption = This physical therapist is assisting two children with polio holding on to a rail whilst they exercise their lower limbs. Physical therapy, also known as Physiotherapy in many English speaking… …   Wikipedia Back pain — Different regions (curvatures) of the vertebral column ICD 10 M54 ICD …   Wikipedia Achilles tendinitis — Infobox Disease Name = PAGENAME Caption = DiseasesDB = 31726 ICD10 = ICD10|M|76|6|m|70 ICD9 = ICD9|726.71 ICDO = OMIM = MedlinePlus = eMedicineSubj = sports eMedicineTopic = 2 MeshID = Achilles tendinitis is tendinitis of the Achilles tendon,… …   Wikipedia Strain (injury) — This article is about the injury. For other uses, see Strain. Strain (injury) Classification and external resources ICD 10 M62.6, T14.3 ICD …   Wikipedia Rotator cuff — Infobox Anatomy Name = Rotator cuff Latin = GraySubject = 123 GrayPage = Caption = Muscles on the dorsum of the scapula, and the Triceps brachii. Caption2 = The scapular and circumflex arteries. System = Precursor = MeshName = MeshNumber =… …   Wikipedia Medical procedure — A medical procedure is a course of action intended to achieve a result in the care of persons with health problems. A medical procedure with the intention of determining, measuring or diagnosing a patient condition or parameter is also called a… …   Wikipedia Soft tissue injury — is damage of the soft tissue of the body.These types of injuries are a major source of pain and disability.The four fundamental tissues that are affected are the epithelial, muscular, nervous and connective tissues.Soft tissue injuries include… …   Wikipedia RICE (medicine) — For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). RICE is a treatment method for soft tissue injury which is an acronym for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.[1][2][3] When used appropriately, recovery duration is usually shortened and discomfort… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”