Cryotherapy Research Papers
Unfortunately for our patients, under treating post-operative pain with sub-therapeutic amounts of opiate pain medication has become, in essence, standard of care. Of course this should not be the case. However, this phenomenon exists for two reasons. First, patients have an unwarranted fear of addiction from an acute use of needed opiate pain medicine. Second, the unwarranted fear of physicians that they will cause addiction in their patients after one warranted prescription of opiate pain medication.
Cryotherapy, or the application of ice packs to the wound in the acute post-operative phase, has been shown in several studies to benefit patients' with post-operative Orthopedic Surgery pain. Cryotherapy can often lower the degree of acute …show more content…
Master's clinical study treatment group included 27 post-operative abdominal surgery patients. These patients were given soft ice packs to apply to their incision areas following open abdominal operations. This treatment patient group applied ice packs to their wounds at desired intervals for at least 24 hours, and they also had the option of taking prescribed opioids. The 28 patients in the no-ice control group received only opioids for pain relief. Twice a day, all patients rated their pain intensity using a standard pain scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst possible pain).
According to Dr. Master's report, patients in the Cryotherapy treatment group reported significantly less pain than those patients in the control group. On average, the treatment group experienced roughly 50% less pain on the first and third postoperative open abdominal surgery days as compared to the control group. In fact, some patients who iced their wounds reported that they used no narcotics.
However, the treatment group used only 22.5% less opioid analgesics on the 1st postoperative day than controls. Based on their reported decrease in overall pain, one would have expected the decrease in opiate usage to be closer to 50%. This discrepancy was not discussed. I believe that there were other behavioral factors at play here and not just the amount of pain reduction with the
Cryotherapy, or the application of ice packs to the wound in the acute post-operative phase, has been shown in several studies to benefit patients' with post-operative Orthopedic Surgery pain. Cryotherapy can often lower the degree of acute …show more content…
Master's clinical study treatment group included 27 post-operative abdominal surgery patients. These patients were given soft ice packs to apply to their incision areas following open abdominal operations. This treatment patient group applied ice packs to their wounds at desired intervals for at least 24 hours, and they also had the option of taking prescribed opioids. The 28 patients in the no-ice control group received only opioids for pain relief. Twice a day, all patients rated their pain intensity using a standard pain scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst possible pain).
According to Dr. Master's report, patients in the Cryotherapy treatment group reported significantly less pain than those patients in the control group. On average, the treatment group experienced roughly 50% less pain on the first and third postoperative open abdominal surgery days as compared to the control group. In fact, some patients who iced their wounds reported that they used no narcotics.
However, the treatment group used only 22.5% less opioid analgesics on the 1st postoperative day than controls. Based on their reported decrease in overall pain, one would have expected the decrease in opiate usage to be closer to 50%. This discrepancy was not discussed. I believe that there were other behavioral factors at play here and not just the amount of pain reduction with the