1. What causes the therapeutic effects of cold therapy?
2. What are indications and precautions for cold therapy?
3. How is cold transferred via conduction?
4. How is cold transferred via convection?
5. What are other techniques of cold transfer?
Answers:
1. Cold results in local vasoconstriction, local metabolism decrease, decreased inflammation, slowed NCV, decreased muscle spindle activity, decreased pain/muscle spasm, decreased spasticity, increased tissue viscosity, transient increase in BP, release of vasoactive agents (histamine).
2. Cold therapy is used for acute processes such as trauma (first 24-48hrs), arthritis, bursitis, acute and chronic pain, spasticity management, and treatment of minor burns. Precautions and contraindications include cold intolerance (Raynaud's), arterial insufficiency, impaired sensation, communication deficits, cardiac or respiratory involvement, cryotherapy induced nerve injury, cryopathies, open wounds after 48 hrs.
3. Methods of conduction include cold packs wrapped in moist towels and ice massage, which is use to cool small areas before deep massage.
4. Methods of convection include a cold bath, which is used for treatment of localized burns, and evaporation such as a vapo-coolant spray, used to treat myofascial pain or local anesthesia.
5. Other techniques of cooling include cryotherapy compression units, which uses sleeves with circulating cold water, used to treat acute msk injury.
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2 comments:
In addition to point #5, there are also surgical quality cold compression wraps which are re-freezable, re-usable, and only apply ice temperatures for periods of less than 20 minutes for safety from cryoburn.
The combination of cold and compression drives the cold much deeper than the pump style devices cited.
Look at http://www.coldoneinc.com for a very popular cold compression wrap.
A seriouse precaution to cold therapy is the possibility of getting CRPS (complex regional pain syndrome) also called RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy), from the repeated application of ice.
If you have had an exagerated or prelonged sense of pain after injuries or if the ice hurts or burns DO NOT USE IT, and start taking 1000 - 1500 mg vitimin C as soon as possible as it's been proven to actualy stop alot of cases of budding CRPS symptoms.
RSD/CRPS is a very nasty painful and poorly understood condition that can be stopped if treated in the first 6 months, if prolonged it can be a life long disability with pain levels higher than labour or cancer pain.
My CRPS was caused or exaberated by the repeated aplications of ice, my internal temperature control from this is so out of wack that one leg has been between 1-5 degrees colder than the other for over three years now, this is nothing to mess with..
If ice hurts talk to your doctor and tell him of any other symptoms you have as well no matter how weird because the various symptoms from this condition can be very strange.
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