WHY CRYOTHERAPY WAS PRESCRIBED AFTER SURGERY

"Using cyrotherapy as a treatment for surgical wounds reduces pain by reducing inflammation and swelling, which lets more oxygen flow to cells.  At the same time, it slows down the metabolism of a cell so that less oxygen is needed. It also makes the nerve endings less sensitive to the pain." (8)

"Study of 55 patients, randomly 27 patients received cyrotherapy, 28 patients received no cyrotherapy after surgical intervention.....patients reported 50% pain reduction on day 1, day 3 and day 14 following surgery in the cyrotherapy group (WOMAC scores)....pain medication was reduced by 10% in cyrotherapy group compared to no cryrotherapy group" (8)

"Cold compression therapy units are more effective in concentrating the cold to the surgical site via a molded wrap. Cold water is then circulated through the wrap, delivering cold to all sides of the joint.  Compression helps to reduce swelling post surgery" (9)

“Patients treated with cold compression had significantly greater range of motion on all post-operative days (compared to ice bags). There was a general trend of lower average pain scores among cold compression patients at all follow-up intervals, with statistical significance reached on the 6th post-operative day. The mean functional knee scores were significantly higher in patients treated with cold compression compared to controls after three months of follow-up." (2)

“Dynamic intermittent compression combined with cryotherapy decreases analgesic drug requirements after ACL reconstruction and improves the postoperative recovery of range of knee motion.” (12)

“Both intermittent compression and continuous cryotherapy are more effective in reducing post-traumatic edema than cool pack therapy. Intermittent compression showed the most significant reduction.” (11)

Clinical Resources

1. The role of cold compression dressings in the postoperative treatment of total knee arthroplasty.

Levy AS, Marmar E Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1993 Dec; (297):174-8

2. Combination of cold and compression after knee surgery. A prospective randomized study.

Schröder D, Pässler HH Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 1994; 2(3):158-65.

3. The effect of cold therapy on the postoperative course of total hip and knee arthroplasty patients.

Scarcella JB, Cohn BT Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ). 1995 Nov; 24(11):847-52.

4. The use of cold compression dressings after total knee replacement: a randomized controlled trial.

Webb JM, Williams D, Ivory JP, Day S, Williamson DM Orthopedics. 1998 Jan; 21(1):59-61

5. Continuous-flow cold therapy after total knee arthroplasty.

Morsi E J Arthroplasty. 2002 Sep; 17(6):718-22.

6. Postoperative cryotherapy after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective study of 86 patients.

Kullenberg B, Ylipää S, Söderlund K, Resch S J Arthroplasty. 2006 Dec; 21(8):1175-9.

7. Fastest reduction of posttraumatic edema: continuous cryotherapy or intermittent impulse compression?

Stöckle U, Hoffmann R, Schütz M, von Fournier C, Südkamp NP, Haas N Foot Ankle Int. 1997 Jul; 18(7):432-8.

8. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-major-surgery-ice-pain-idUSKBN0EM1UY20140611

9. University of Utah Healthcare, 2018 Jan 1

10. Kullenberg, Björn; Ylipää, Staffan; Söderlund, Kerstin; Resch, Sylvia (2006-12-01). "Postoperative Cryotherapy After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Prospective Study of 86 Patients". The Journal of Arthroplasty. 21 (8): 1175–1179. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2006.02.159. ISSN 0883-5403. PMID 17162178.

11. Fastest Reduction of Post-traumatic Edema: Continuous Cryotherapy or Intermittent Impulse Compression, Stockle U et al, Foot Ankle Int 1997; 18 (7): 432-438

12. Cryotherapy with dynamic intermittent compression for analgesia after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, J. Murgiera, X. Cassardb

DVT National Statistics

900,000

People Affected Each Year

Venous thomboembolism (VTE) affects as many as 900,000 Americans each year

100,000

People Die Each Year

As many as 100,000 people die of blot clots each year

1 of 4

Sudden Deaths

1 of 4 people who have a pulmonary embolism (PE) die without warning

5x the risk

during pregnancy

Women are five times more likely to experience a dangerous blood clot when they are pregnant

2x the risk

c-section pregnancy

Surgical delivery by C-section nearly doubles a pregnant woman’s risk for dangerous blood clot

1 of 10

hospital deaths

Roughly 1 out of 10 hospital deaths are related to blood clots in the lungs

Ari Bauch

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