CRYOTHERAPY IS THE STANDARD CARE FOR ACUTE INJURY October 05 2015

The use of cryotherapy is considered the standard of care for acute injury across the medical field. The primary physiological goals when using cryotherapy is to decrease tissue temperature, which in turn decreases cellular metabolism, the utilization of anaerobically produced ATP, lactic acid concentrations and secondary cell injury. Clinically, the decrease in secondary cell injury translates to a decrease in the extent of the injury and a quicker recovery, return to daily activities and work. The application of cryotherapy ranges from acute injury (eg. ankle sprains), gout, malleolar fractures, rheumatoid arthritis, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis post surgical and post rehabilitation therapy.

This post was contributed by Professor Lennart Johns at Quinnipiac University.