Does Cryotherapy Hasten Return to Participation?
OBJECTIVE: To search the English-language literature for original research addressing the effect of cryotherapy on return to participation after injury. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database, SPORT Discus, the Cochrane Reviews database, and CINAHL from 1976 to 2003 to identify randomized clinical trials of cryotherapy. Key words used were cryotherapy, return to participation, cold treatment, ice, injury, sport, edema, and pain. DATA SYNTHESIS: Original research, including outcomes-assessment measures of return to participation of injured subjects, was reviewed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale. Four studies were identified and reviewed by a panel of certified athletic trainers. The 4 articles’ scores ranged from 2 to 4 on the PEDro scale, which has a maximum of 10 points. Two of the articles suggested that cryotherapy speeds return to participation after ankle sprains. However, these authors failed to provide in-depth statistical a
