Effects of Cold and Compression on Edema

Abstract

In brief: A 40-minute cooling period was used to treat artificially induced acute inflammatory reactions in human tissue. Results showed no significant change in the volume of the inflammatory reaction at one hour, though a transient attenuation during the first 15 minutes was detected. The addition of mild pressure (10 mm Hg) to mild cooling (range, 15° to 25° C) produced a highly significant reduction in swelling from 15 minutes onward, This effect was sustained as long as swelling was detectable. Pressure alone (20 mm Hg) had a nonsignificant effect. The authors compare two cooling devices, an inflatable cooling cuff and an evaporative bandage, which were both found to be effective. The authors suggest that these devices could be used more routinely in emergency medicine.

Soft tissue injuries: 4 Hip and thigh

“…Ice can also be used as a form of pain relief in tendonosis. Evidence of efficacy is, however, weak 18 19…”

Clinical benefits of early cold therapy in accident and emergency following ankle sprain.

“…heat and cold) may be applied underlines the fact that some of these treatments have little objective basis. Previous work in a human model of soft-tissue injury has shown that cooling alone does not produce a sustained reduction in swelling and that the addition of mild pressure (10-30 mmHg) to the cooling (1 5C) is necessary for any permanent effects to be seen (Sloan et al, 1988). Schmidt et al, (1979), using an experimental rat paw model, also found that cooling alone did not cause a reduction in swelling.…”

Cryotherapy after total knee replacement: a survey of current practice

“…The benefit of cold and compression in reducing swelling and pain has been well established for many years (McMaster and Liddle, 1980;Berman et al, 1988;Sloan et al, 1988;Cohn et al, 1989;Shelbourne and Wilkens, 1990;Healy et al, 1994) and a variety of devices have been designed to deliver controlled cryotherapy with and without added compression (Knight, 1995, Chapter 8), including:…”