Cold therapy is regularly prescribed by medical professionals as a therapeutic modality to alleviate physiological and functional deficits and to induce analgesia and relieve pain following acute soft-tissue injuries and recovery from surgical procedures. The benefits of cold therapy have been well-documented by extensive research studies that have explored the ability of cold therapy to reduce edema, inhibit hematoma formation, diminish the inflammatory response following trauma, reduce muscle spasm and provide an antinociceptive effect.
Why Use PCM?
Ice is too cold. 11-15°C (52-59°F) is more beneficial for cool therapy. A systematic review of studies has identified:
Temperatures between 11-15'C (52-59F) were more beneficial than more severe cold temperatures < 10℃ for the management of muscle soreness.
15℃ is optimal for healing and patient satisfaction following surgery. Specifically, cooling at 15℃ compared to icing or lower temperatures resulted in reduced swelling by an average of 28%, reduced reported pain by 43%, and improved patient satisfaction by 38% across the first 4 days. Importantly, cold therapy has been shown to reduce patients' post-surgical need for opioids.
Cooling PCM Safe for Prolonged Use / Effective for Pain Management
Prolonged PCM cooling has been effectively used for reductions in soreness and strength loss on the days after eccentric quadriceps exercise in recreational athletes and after a professional soccer match when applied for 6 and 3 hours, respectively.
Ice- And Water-Based Cooling Therapies Have Significant Drawbacks
Circulating water systems are a slight improvement over icing. However, these systems still suffer challenges, including:
1) difficulties regulating the temperature when using ice as its cooling medium; hard to attain or maintain the optimum therapeutic target of 15°C;
2) systems tether the patient during use, limiting mobility with cumbersome tubes, wires and cords;
3) risk of patient misuse; ice burn and tissue damage.
