Cold Therapy Post-Operative For Cuff Repair
In the absence of reliable evidence, it is the opinion of the work group that local cold therapy is beneficial to relieve pain after rotator cuff surgery.
CONSENSUS RECOMMENDATION Rationale
One of the primary objectives of patient care is the alleviation of pain and suffering. Pain has been coined one of the ‘vital signs’ of patient management. It is therefore reasonable to encourage pain control methods, especially when there is broad experience with their application in general clinical practice across multiple specialties.
Cold therapy has been utilized in the postoperative setting for a variety of orthopaedic procedures, including shoulder surgery, to aide in pain control and possibly to decrease tissue swelling. Based on these observations, there may be beneficial effects of cold therapy after shoulder surgery; however, there is no compelling or strong, quality evidence that pertains specifically to rotator cuff repair. Studies evaluating the effect of cold therapy are limited by a lack of standardized methodology and by variability in the methods of cold application.
Based upon the expert opinion of the work group, local cold therapy is a reasonable treatment for pain control after rotator cuff surgery. Surgeons should be aware of the possibilities of local tissue injury and generalized hypothermia related to excessive cold application, although these complications are quite rare.
We found no quality studies to help decipher any potential clinical differences between intermittent crushed ice, continuous cold therapy, and other forms of cryotherapy after rotator cuff surgery.
Cold therapy has been utilized in the postoperative setting for a variety of orthopaedic procedures, including shoulder surgery, to aide in pain control and possibly to decrease tissue swelling. Based on these observations, there may be beneficial effects of cold therapy after shoulder surgery; however, there is no compelling or strong, quality evidence that pertains specifically to rotator cuff repair. Studies evaluating the effect of cold therapy are limited by a lack of standardized methodology and by variability in the methods of cold application.
Based upon the expert opinion of the work group, local cold therapy is a reasonable treatment for pain control after rotator cuff surgery. Surgeons should be aware of the possibilities of local tissue injury and generalized hypothermia related to excessive cold application, although these complications are quite rare.
We found no quality studies to help decipher any potential clinical differences between intermittent crushed ice, continuous cold therapy, and other forms of cryotherapy after rotator cuff surgery.