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Medical Rehabilitation - quarterly journal
Volume 7 year 2003, Issue number 2
Local application of cold in injuries and musculoskeletal diseases treatment and rehabilitation
Miejscowe zastosowanie zimna w leczeniu i rehabilitacji stanów pourazowych oraz chorób narządu ruchu
Wojciech Gawroński
Zakład Medycyny Wychowania Fizycznego i Sportu AWF w Krakowie
Key words
ice, cold therapy, cryotherapy, cryostimulation, injury, musculoskeletal diseases, exercise, rehabilitation
Summary
The aim of the paper is to present the updated knowledge about cold application (cryotherapy) in treatment and rehabilitation of patients after injuries and with musculoskeletal diseases. In the subject of local cold application, most data in Polish literature deal with the usage of extremely low temperatures. On the opposite, all papers in English are about usage of ice or cooling gels. This situation creates some misunderstanding in terminology. The present data from Medline indicates that there is need for new term - stimulating cryotherapy or cryostimulation for local treatment using the temperature under -100°C. The goal of local cold therapy with ice is to lower tissue temperature. As the result, the metabolism slows down, inflammation and tissue bleeding are inhibited. Local cryostimulation (using extremely low temperatures), lasting 2-3 min, causes reflexotherapeutic stimulating reaction of microvascular circulation. This kind of therapy is helpful for treatment and rehabilitation of chronic lesions and musculoskeletal diseases. This paper based on reviewed literature shows the current views on the different mechanisms of two methods of cold therapy, cryotherapeutic guidance, efficiency and contraindications to cryotherapy and cryostimulation. Analysis of Medline data shows lack of the evidence-based papers on cryostimulation.