Cold Therapy Machines: Uses and Indications

Cold therapy is a time-tested method for obtaining pain relief and encouraging recovery after an injury. It has a plethora of advantages, such as reduction of inflammation and soreness, and cold therapy machines help provide efficient treatment that is easily accessible. At the medcom group, we have helped countless individuals discover the quickest possible route to recovery, getting them back on their feet by matching them with the perfect cold therapy machine for their needs.

Are you curious about cold therapy machines, particularly their uses and indications? Read on for a deep dive into everything you need to know about the applicability of cold therapy machines.

What is a Cold Therapy Machine?

Cold therapy machines are electrically operated equipment that effectively provide cold therapy for defined periods. They are far more controlled, accurate, and efficient when compared to cold therapy with ice packs, for example. A cold therapy machine will circulate water through an ice reservoir that then pumps through tubing into a compression wrap at the site of your injury or desired treatment area.

Cold therapy machines usually come with three different components: the central cooling and water cycling chamber, tubing, and compression wrap. It can be applied to nearly every part of the body that may need its benefits including the ankle, back, hip, rib, hand, wrist, elbow, knee, shoulder, face, thigh, and calf.

Benefits of Cold Therapy Machine

The primary benefit of cold therapy machines is that they decrease pain by numbing nerve endings in your body. The result is that the cold temperatures slow down communication between your body and your brain which decreases the pain signal transmission speed. In this way, cold therapy machines can help achieve effective pain management while encouraging less use of medication when recovering from injury or surgery, and with less medication, you can enjoy a healthier and more cost-effective path to recovery.

Cold therapy machines also help reduce inflammation and encourage healing with enhanced blood circulation and immune-boosting effects. It can release endorphins that boost your mood, sharpen mental clarity, and provide a sense of alertness. And if that wasn’t enough, cold therapy machines are convenient, precise, portable, easily accessible, and very cost-effective.

Indications You Could Benefit from a Cold Therapy Machine

Have you recently had surgery and still feel the pain associated with the operation? How about lingering pain from a minor injury? There’s a great chance that cold therapy machines could be a great solution for you. Cold therapy machines are often used for pain associated with:

• Runner's knee
• Recovering from surgery
• Tendonitis
• Sprains
• Arthritis pain
• Pain and swelling after a hip or knee replacement
• To treat pain or swelling under a cast or a splint
• Lower back pain

Cold therapy machines are great for elderly individuals as well! Cold therapy is recommended for acute inflammation and painful conditions (redness, swelling, pain and heat in the affected area). Examples include muscle or joint strains, acute degenerative arthritis, and acute gouty attacks.

There are certain contraindications to be aware of. Cold therapy should not be used and is not a suitable form of therapy if you have the following conditions:

• Impaired circulation (e.g. peripheral vascular disease)
• The area of application is near a chronic wound or bleeding tissue
• History of cold allergy
• Difficulty in understanding instructions (e.g. individuals with dementia)

While it is not recommended to use cold therapy machines if you have deep vein thrombosis, some cold therapy machines have intermittent compression and do help prevent DVT from occurring.

Uses for Cold Therapy Machines

Cold therapy machines can deliver targeted relief of bruising, pain, and swelling while speeding up recovery and relaxing the muscles. By decreasing temperatures in an isolated part of the body and increasing circulation, the healing effects are both precise and immediate. The more advanced cold therapy machines also incorporate compression which is especially helpful because it can complete the recommended RICE method for healing used all throughout the world. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation - with the easy-of-use and high transportability of cold therapy machines, you can enable the most effective healing method any time of the day and anywhere you may be located.

While you should always follow the guidance of your doctor or health care provider, cold therapy machines can be used to great effect for nearly all musculoskeletal injuries and surgery recovery periods. For the first seven days after the injury or surgery, it is often recommended to use a cold therapy machine four times daily for 15-20 minute intervals. From the second week of recovery onward, you may continue using the cold therapy machine for pain management, but perhaps at a lower frequency of one or two times a day. If swelling persists, consult your doctor to ensure your body is healing normally.

The Best Cold Therapy Machine For You

Cold therapy machines are an affordable and easy way to gain immediate pain relief along with enhanced recovery. Between its mobility and applicability for practically any injury, there’s high potential for it to be able to benefit your rehabilitation plan. If you’re ready to harness the healing power of targeted compression and cold therapy, don’t hesitate to contact the medical equipment experts at the medcom group today!