Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012;20(5):285-90.
doi: 10.1590/S1413-78522012000500008.

Effectiveness of cryotherapy after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Camila Dambros  1 , Ana Luiza Cabrera Martimbianco  1 , Luis Otávio Polachini  1 , Gisele Landim Lahoz  1 , Therezinha Rosane Chamlian  1 , Moisés Cohen  1
Affiliations

Effectiveness of cryotherapy after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Camila Dambros et al. Acta Ortop Bras. 2012.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate cryotherapy effectiveness in the immediate postoperative period of ACL reconstruction to improve pain and range of motion (ROM) of the knee.

Methods: This is a pilot study of a prospective and randomized clinical trial. Patients (n=25) were divided into two groups: Intervention (A) group (n=10): patients were submitted to an inpatient physical therapy protocol and received ice compress for 20 minutes, twice a day; Control (B) group (n=9): patients had the same protocol, twice a day. The pain intensity was evaluated with the visual analogic scale (VAS) and range of motion was measured with a goniometer.

Results: The Intervention (A) group had important absolute and percentual improvement when compared with the Control (B) group regarding measures of pain and knee flexion/extension ROM.

Conclusion: Cryotherapy in the immediate postoperative period of ACL reconstruction was effective to improve pain and range of motion of the knee. Level of Evidence I, Randomized Clinical Trial .

Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Cryotherapy; Pain measurement; Range of motion, articular.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All the authors declare that there is no potential conflict of interest referring to this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT Flowchart
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean range of motion of knee flexion in the Intervention and Control groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean range of motion of knee extension in the Intervention and Control groups.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mean pain at rest in knee in the Intervention and Control groups..
Figure 5
Figure 5
Absolute improvement of the physiotherapy treatment in the Intervention and Control groups in the range of motion of knee flexion and extension and in pain after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Percentual improvement of physiotherapy treatment in the Intervention and Control groups in the range of motion of knee flexion and extension and in pain after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Snyder-Macker L, Lewek M. The knee: introduction. In: Lippert LS, editor. Clinical kinesiology and anatomy. 4th. Philadelphia : FA Davis Co; 2006. p. 393.
    1. Thomson LC, Handoll HH, Cunningham A, Shaw PC. Physiotherapist-led programmes and interventions for rehabilitation of anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and meniscal injuries of the knee in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2002;(2):CD001354. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bradley JP, Tejwani SG. All-inside patellar tendon anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Sports Med Arthrosc. 2009;17(4):252–8. - PubMed
    1. Trees AH, Howe TE, Dixon J, White L. Exercise for treating isolated anterior cruciate ligament injuries in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;(4):CD005316. - PubMed
    1. Bottoni CR, Liddell TR, Trainor TJ, Freccero DM, Lindell KK. Postoperative range of motion following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using autograft hamstrings: a prospective, randomized clinical trial of early versus delayed reconstructions. Am J Sports Med. 2008;36(4):656–62. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources