Science Behind Cold & Contrast Therapy
Cold Therapy: Natural Relief for Pain and Swelling
Cold therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free treatment that reduces skin temperature below 10–15°C, slowing nerve conduction to relieve pain, inflammation, and swelling.
[Bleakley et al., Sports Med, 2004][Taccardo et al., 2016]
Cold + Compression: Enhanced Recovery
Combining cold therapy with compression shows greater improvement in post-operative pain and swelling than cold therapy alone.
[Su et al., SpringerPlus, 2016]Post-TKA: Reduced Pain and Faster Mobility
Cryotherapy after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) significantly reduces pain, improves range of motion, and lowers opioid use. Intermittent compression accelerates edema reduction and improves flexion and walking distance.
[Zhang et al., J Orthop Surg Res, 2024][BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2024]
Post-ACL Surgery: Better Pain Control
Cold therapy combined with compression provides superior pain control compared to cold alone. At 6 weeks post-surgery, 83% of patients discontinued opioids versus 28% in the control group.
[Thorsson et al., Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc, 2012]Contrast Therapy + Compression: Boosts Circulation and Recovery
Immediate application of alternating heat and cold therapy with compression after exercise improves muscle tone, elasticity, pain threshold, and blood perfusion.
[Front Physiol, 2025]