DETERMINING SKIN TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THREE COLD COMPRESSION MODALITIES

Background: Cold and compression are common therapeutic interventions used in the treatment of acute musculoskeletal injuries. Cryotherapy uses extreme cold to decrease cell metabolism and pain following injury. Compression works to decrease overall blood flow and control edema. The benefit of combining cold and compression is to increase the rate and depth of the temperature drop, while utilizing the effects of both modalities. Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine if a crushed ice pack was as effective as newer cold compression technology to decrease skin temperature. A crushed ice pack was compared to the PowerPlay and Game Ready, two competing cold compression devices. We hypothesized that each of the modalities would reach therapeutic temperatures, and the Game Ready would be the most effective at cooling skin temperatures due to the circulation of ice and water. Participants: Ten (7 female, 3 male) healthy, recreationally active students (Age: 22 + 1.3yrs; Height: 66 + 4.2 in; Weight: 167 + 34.3lbs) participated in the study. A repeated measures design was utilized; each participant completed each of the three trials, ice pack, PowerPlay, and Game Ready in a randomized order. Skin temperatures over the sinus tarsi were recorded before and after each trial by the Ryobi infrared laser thermometer. Skin temperature differences were examined before and after a 20-minute treatment of each modality. Results: There was a statistical significance between trials and skin temperature (p =0.000). Specifically, post hoc testing revealed ice pack cooled skin temperature significantly more than PowerPlay (p=0.001), as well as Game Ready more than PowerPlay (p=0.021). Ice pack and Game Ready cooled skin temperature similarly (p= .506). Conclusion: We found that each of the modalities reached therapeutic temperatures necessary to slow cell metabolism and provide analgesic effects. However, our results indicate that an ice pack and ace bandage and Game Ready were more effective at producing cooler skin temperatures when compared to the PowerPlay