Cryotherapy for acute ankle sprains: A randomised controlled study of two different icing protocols

Chris M Bleakley ¹, Suzanne M McDonough ^1* and Domhnall C MacAuley ²

¹ University of Ulster, United Kingdom
² Hillhead Surgery, United Kingdom

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: s.mcdonough{at}ulster.ac.uk.

Accepted 28 March 2006

Abstract

Background: The use of cryotherapy in the management of acute soft tissue injury is largely based on anecdotal evidence. Preliminary evidence suggests that intermittent cryotherapy applications are most effective at reducing tissue temperature to optimal therapeutic levels, however its efficacy in treating injured human subjects is not yet known.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of an intermittent cryotherapy treatment protocol with a standard cryotherapy treatment protocol in the management of acute ankle sprains.

Subjects: Sportsmen (n=44) and members of the general public (n=45) with mild / moderate acute ankle sprains.

Methods: Subjects were randomly allocated, under strictly controlled double blind conditions, to one of two treatment groups: standard ice application (n=46), or intermittent ice application (n=43). The mode of cryotherapy was standardised across groups and consisted of melting iced water (0 degrees C) in a standardised pack. Function, pain and swelling were recorded at baseline, one, two, three, four and six weeks post injury.

Results: Subjects treated with an intermittent treatment protocol had significantly less ankle pain on activity, than those using a standard twenty-minute treatment protocol; one week (p<0.05) after ankle injury, however there were no significant differences between groups in terms of function, swelling, or pain at rest.

Conclusion: Intermittent applications may enhance the therapeutic effect of ice in pain relief after acute soft tissue injury.

Key Words: ankle, cryotherapy, ice, soft tissue injuries, sprains and strains

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