Use of cold therapy in traditional and new medicine

Cold therapy are as an oldest method that used for treatment of truma and pain and as a folk remedy that use for relife of spasm and inflamation. Cold can exert a profound physiological effect on the body especially of reducing inflammation caused by injuries to the musculoskeletal system. Because reduction of inflammation is the primary goal, cryotherapy is the treatment of choise for the first 24 to 48 hours after an injury. Vasoconstriction resulting from cold application reduces blood flow to the injuried part and thus reduces fluid accumulation and slows bleeding and hematoma formation associated with trauma. The lower temperature also suppresses muscle spasm and produces a local anesthetic response. When used appropriately, cold applications can significantly lessen pain and immobility by reducing swelling of injured tissues. Cold is also indicated as an adjunct analgesic for chronic pain and spasticity control. It can also be used as analgesic after arthroscopic surgical procedures. Cold modalities that simultaneously provide compression are extermely effective in treating acute musculoskeletal injuries that are associated with soft tissue swelling. Elevating the extremity during treatment further augments venous return. Application of cold or cryotherapy can be accomplished through many therapeutic modalities, such as moist cold compresses, chemical or cold packs, electromechanical or compression devices, or immersion of a body part into a cold soak. In this paper we try to describe regarding to cold therapy in traditional and new medicine.