Utilizing Cold Therapy Machines for Patient Recovery

Patient experience, satisfaction, and recovery outcomes are all important factors in assessing a hospital or clinic’s level of care. It is therefore critical to evaluate what ways these factors can be optimized, especially in regards to what recovery methods are offered to patients.

Whether rehabbing an injury or reducing soreness after a workout, cold therapy can help reduce recovery time, inflammation, swelling, and soreness. If you are a health care provider, doctor, or physical therapist, what follows is a comprehensive guide to cold therapy, particularly around its use for effectively treating patients and facilitating a streamlined recovery.

What are Cold Therapy Machines?

Cold therapy machines are a simple-to-use cold compression therapy product that requires only water and power. Its unique design is convenient to use, provides pain relief, and reduces swelling and inflammation, making recovery faster. They are far more controlled, accurate, and efficient when compared to cold therapy with ice packs, and they work by circulating water through an ice reservoir that then pumps through tubing into a compression wrap at the site of a patient’s 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.

Are Cold Therapy Machines Worth It?

Cold therapy machines offer a plethora of benefits for patients recovering from injury or surgery. First and foremost, it offers a medication-free path toward pain relief by numbing the nerve endings in a patient’s body and slowing the communication between the painful site and the brain which leads to less pain. Cold therapy machines also surpass the simple benefits offered by icing an injury because these machines incorporate compression with the cold temperatures which are key parts of the RICE recovery method (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) - this is why cold therapy machines help reduce inflammation and encourage healing with enhanced blood circulation and immune-boosting effects. It can release endorphins that boost a patient’s mood, sharpen mental clarity, and provide a sense of alertness.

For health care providers, doctors, and physical therapists, cold therapy machines are convenient, precise, portable, easily accessible, and very cost-effective. By purchasing one machine, you can guarantee your patients a highly effective therapeutic method on-site that is reusable as new patients come to your clinic.

Indications for Patient Cold Therapy

Patients who have pain from a minor injury or recently underwent surgery could likely benefit from cold therapy machines. The potential for cold therapy machines to be used effectively is extensive, and they are often used to treat 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

Contraindications for Patient Cold Therapy

Cold therapy is not suitable for all patients, however. Cold therapy should not be used and is not a suitable form of therapy if a patient you are treating has one or more of 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)

It’s important to note that 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.

How to Use Cold Therapy Machines on Patients

Always reference the latest literature and scientifically reviewed guidance to safely and effectively treat patients with a cold therapy machine. In general 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 with at least 20 minutes in between each session. From the second week of recovery onward, you may continue treating a patient using the cold therapy machine for pain management, but perhaps at a lower frequency of one or two times a day. For patients’ comfort, make sure there is a layer worn in between the cold therapy machine and their skin, such as through the use of leggings, pajamas, etc.

The precise usage of a cold therapy machine will vary depending on the model of the machine and the portion of the body being treated, but in general, follow these steps to treat a patient:

1. Connect the power cord to the external power supply.

2. Plug the circular connector into the back of the Cooling Unit. You will hear a click when properly connected.

3. Plug the power cord into the wall outlet.

4. Place the wrap on the appropriate body part. Secure with hook and loop. Refer to the individual wrap guides for specific information regarding wrap use.

5. Connect the hose to the wrap. You will hear a click when properly connected.

6. Connect the hose to the Cooling Unit. You will hear a click when properly connected.

7. Add water to the Cooling Unit.

8. Turn on the power, select desired cold and compression levels, and set the therapy duration settings.

9. Finally, review the settings and confirm that the machine is properly assembled, then press the start button.

Contact the Cold Therapy Machine Experts at the Medcom Group For More Help

For healthcare providers, doctors, and physical therapists, it’s wise to have a cold therapy machine on hand to be able to provide your patients with highly effective, targeted recovery assistance and pain relief. While the benefits are extensive, using cold therapy machines correctly is a critical part of the safe treatment of patients. If you have questions about acquiring a cold therapy machine for your practice or how to use it for the proper treatment of patients, contact the team at the medcom group today!