Combining cold therapy and active compression is a common and effective method to treat pain and inflammation after an acute injury or surgical procedure. Surgery affects the body’s soft tissues, which can lead to pain and swelling. Cold + Compression Therapy addresses both pain and swelling, while also facilitating tissue healing. Cold therapy reduces pain due to its numbing effect on the injured area, while compression helps to reduce swelling by improving blood circulation and encouraging movement of lymph fluid. A decrease in post-operative pain and swelling is an effective way to reduce your recovery time.

Immediately after surgery, the body naturally responds to repair the tissue damage and defend itself and as such, many patients may experience swelling. While this is a natural part of healing, using pneumatic compression as part of cold + compression therapy aids the lymph response, kick starting the healing process by oxygenating the injured area. Ice with compression is significantly colder (yet safer) than ice alone due to improved skin contact and increased tissue density caused by extended static compression. Tissue reaches its lowest temperature faster and stays cool even after treatment ends.

In immediate recovery post-surgery pain may also be an issue. The cooling from cold compression therapy gives the body a natural analgesic response making it easier for a patient to participate in any rehabilitation activities they may need to undergo, like physical therapy and/or a home exercise program. Pain and swelling can be natural by-products of recovery and the therapy required to return to a normal routine, making it important for patients to have access to the pain and edema reducing benefits of cold compression therapy.

Learn more about the research supporting the benefits of cryotherapy here.

Straight Knee Wrap

Articulated Knee Wrap

Shoulder Wrap

Hip Wrap

Ankle Wrap

Lumbar Wrap

Hand/Wrist Wrp

Elbow Wrap

Neck (Cevical) Wrap

For patient’s that have longer recovery times, it’s important to have tools that are more effective than typical ice packs. One of the main benefits of cryo-compression therapy is that the delivery system for the cooling makes it penetrate deeper into injured tissue increasing its pain relieving capabilities. The main benefits of which are:

Less use of pain medication

Increased ability to perform therapeutic exercise

More comfort than typical ice packs

Additionally, the combination of cold and compression together make a powerful rehabilitative tool which leads to:

Reduced post-operative blood loss

Shorter hospital time

Better wound care

The NICE1 Cold + Compression Therapy System offers many different wraps in order to optimally treat each area of the body. The benefits of using these systems from immediately post-surgery to the successful conclusion of rehabilitation, make cold compression therapy devices a good choice for both clinics and patient’s home use.