CONTINUOUS CRYOTHERAPY - AN IMPROVEMENT I N THE THERAPY OF POSTTRAUMATIC AND POSTOPERATIVE EDEMA

In patients with foot and ankle trauma, surgery and postoperative mobi lization are often delayed owing to swelling. The aim of this study wa s to assess whether continuous cryotherapy is better than standard the rapy with intermittently applied cool packs. For continuous cryotherap y the Polar Care Model 500 (BREG) was used. From May to November 1993, a series of 40 patient (22 ankle fractures, 13 ruptured lateral ankle ligaments, 4 calcaneus fractures, 1 metatarsal fracture) were prospec tively randomized to continuous or intermittent cryotherapy. After 24 h treatment the patients with continuous cryotherapy showed an average reduction of 34% in swelling around ankle, midfoot and forefoot. With intermittent cryotherapy the swelling was reduced by 18%. After 4 day s of treatment in the postoperative period the swelling subsided by 43 % with intermittent cryotherapy, as against 69% with continuous cryoth erapy. Continuous cryotherapy proved to be highly effective in treatin g posttraumatic and postoperative edema. It therefore seems preferable to the therapy with cool packs regarded as standard hitherto.