Clinical-like cryotherapy improves gait function and reduces synovial inflammation in rats with knee osteoarthritis

Clinical-like cryotherapy improves footprint patterns and reduces synovial inflammation in a rat model of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis

“…The experimental protocol was in accordance with the National Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Research Council, 1996) 49 . The Federal University of São Carlos Ethics Committee approved the experimental procedures (number 7949291116/2017) and the study was conducted by trained professionals blinded to the identity of the experimental groups 49 . A priori sample calculation was performed using G*Power (version 3.1; University of Trier, Trier, Germany) 50 .…”

“…The animals analyzed were two-month-old male Wistar rats ( Rattus norvegicus , n = 32; 297 ± 25 g), housed at 24 °C ± 1 °C (three per cage) under pathogen-free conditions in a reverse light cycle (12/12 light/dark) and given ad libitum access to standard rat chow and water. A computer program (www.random.org) was used to randomly divide the animals into four groups (n = 8 per group): Control (composed of naïve animals not submitted to surgery or intervention); ACLT knee surgery (KOA, untreated group); ACLT knee surgery and an ice pack (KOA + Cryotherapy), and ACLT knee surgery with a sand pack similar to the ice pack (KOA + Placebo) 49 . The groups were assessed one day prior to ACLT surgery and 60 days after the procedure, performing the least stressful tests firsts and progressing to the most stressful ones, as follows: skin temperature, gait test, thermal response threshold and swelling.…”