sports medicine newsletter
Which is more effective following an orthopedic muscoloskeletal surgery? Ice packs or passive cooling devices?
The CryoCuff® and the Polar Care Cub devices are examples of passive cooling devices. Both the ice packs and the passive cooling devices are essentially designed to provide cold therapy, with the primary difference being that water recirculation is more convenient with passive cooling devices such as the CryoCuff.
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How they work.
Icing with ice packs or with a passive cooling device such as CryoCuff significantly reduces swelling and pain when used regularly after surgery. A physical therapist may also use ice baths and other methods of ice application based on the needs of a particular patient.
The passive cooling devices such as the CryoCuff consist of an insulated container filled with cold water that is attached to a compressive cuff. When the container is raised, the water fills and pressurizes the cuff. The amount of pressure is proportional to the height of the container. When body heat warms the water, the cooler is lowered and the water drains out. The cooler is then raised above the affected limb and cold water refills the compressive cuff.
Nothing beats the portability of an
ice pack. So if you are on the go,
this might be the way to go.
Ice pack to go
The PolarCare Cub unit consists of pads held in place with elastic straps, which may also provide compression. The pads are attached to a built-in hand pump which circulates the water through the pads at the same time as increasing the compression around the joint.
Based on the results of a study in Sweden comparing epidural anesthesia after arthroplasty, CryoCuff seems to be a rational, effective, risk-free, and well-tolerated alternative to epidural anesthesia to reduce pain and morphine use after unicondylar knee arthroplasty.
The ice wins, however you want to apply it.
But typically, because of convenience, people tend to use the passive cooling devices like CryoCuff and Polar Care Club more frequently which expedites the healing and recovery process.