The Physiologic Effects of Immediate Cold Therapy

trauma or surgery negatively affects the healing process, resulting in a prolonged rehabilitative period. Pain, and specifically, joint effusion (swelling within a joint), have been shown to have deleterious effects such as decreased range of motion, muscle spasm, muscle inhibition, and muscle atrophy. These effects lead to decreased function of the involved body part and an extended rehabilitative time frame. Minimizing the effects of pain and joint effusion can enhance the healing process and speed the patient's return to safe and pain-free activity. The use of cold following acute musculoskeletal trauma has been the standard of treatment for years. The immediate use of cold to reduce pain and swelling is universally accepted in the sports medicine world. However, the physiologic benefits of cold following trauma or orthopaedic surgery has not been harnessed due to either the inability of cold packs to penetrate bulky postoperative bandages or from lack of use due to fear of wound infection if the sterile dressings were removed and cold moist packs applied. The introduction of cold therapy systems that deliver cold through sterile circulation pads, such has Polar Care, has made it possible to apply continuous cold directly to the operative site, without the fear of infection. To adequately understand the physiologic response of an acute injury/surgery to immediate application of cold, one must understand the tissue's response to injury. The Physiologic Effects of Immediate Cold Therapy