How Long Should I Use a Cold Therapy Machine?

Cold therapy machines are one of the most effective ways to reduce pain after an injury or surgery without the use of medication. If you have been recommended to use a cold therapy machine, using it for the correct duration will optimize your recovery. But how long throughout your recovery period should cold therapy be used - days, weeks, or months? And, when using a cold therapy machine, how long should individual sessions last?

The Medcom Group’s experts have experience supplying various cold therapy machines. Here’s our insight into how long you should be using them.

How Long Should I Use a Cold Therapy Machine?

As general guidance, how long you use a cold therapy machine primarily depends upon the severity of your injury and its ability to recover. You should expect to utilize your cold therapy machine throughout the recovery process as long as pain and inflammation persist.

Individual sessions are usually recommended to last 15-20 minutes. You'll use cold therapy the most in the first 48 hours after your injury or surgery. Ice the affected area at least four times each day; continue using it in such a way while your body’s inflammatory response is highly active over the first week of recovery.

If your body has not shown any reasonable improvement regarding the injury’s pain and swelling after two weeks, contact your doctor to ensure you're still healing effectively. As pain and inflammation are subsiding, you can reduce the number of cold therapy sessions to 1-2 times per day or as needed. Daily and weekly cold therapy sessions should decrease as the wound fully heals until you no longer need it.

Can You Use a Cold Therapy Machine Too Much?

Unfortunately, using a cold therapy machine for too long is possible. Using a cold therapy machine for too long (in regards to minutes in an individual session) can lead to tissue damage and widening of the blood vessels, also known as reactive vasodilation. Using a cold therapy machine too frequently can also delay recovery as the healing process requires blood flow of immune cells into the injured area. Cold temperatures can slow this down.

Is it Bad if You Do Not Use Cold Therapy Machines Frequent Enough?

Not using cold therapy machines as frequently or as long as needed has no severe side effects. The only downside is that you will not receive the full beneficial effects provided by cold therapy.

Begin Your Medication-Free Journey to Recovery

If you desire effective pain and inflammation reduction after an injury or surgery, cold therapy machines are the best path forward. However, cold therapy machines are only beneficial if used correctly and following proper usage frequency and duration.

Contact your doctor or health care provider if you have any questions or concerns about whether you should be using cold therapy machines and how best to optimize the recovery of your specific injury, and if you have any questions regarding the proper operation of your cold therapy machine, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at Medcom Group today!

Disclaimer

The Medcom Group, ltd. is not responsible for any complications arising from using this machine based on this article; patients should consult a healthcare professional for healthcare advice before performing cold therapy on themselves or another individual.