Myth: When an injured area is numb, it is pain free.
First, let’s review the progressive stages of frostbite: (1) Initial coldness; (2) Stinging, burning, and throbbing; and (3) Numbness, followed by complete loss of sensation. This may be due to partial or complete nerve damage. It may or may not be temporary. It may also lead to long-term sensitivity to heat and cold.
FACT: Clinical and experimental research on pain and pain threshold indicates that pain reduction occurs after the tissues are cooled to a moderate temperature of 10°C to 15°C (50°F - 59°F).[1]
Myth: The age-old adage, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE) still holds today.
FACT: Here’s a surprise. According to a 2004 review of 22 relevant studies and a computer-based literature search of 8 databases to assess the clinical evidence on ice therapy for acute soft tissue injuries, compression alone was just as effective in reducing pain as ice and compression together.
What proved more effective? Moderate cooling and compression. That’s right, temps in the 50° Fahrenheit range was the proven winner over ice and compression, and compression alone, in controlling pain and the need for pain medication.[2]
Myth: 20-30 Minutes of ice therapy is the most effective treatment for soft-tissue injuries.
FACT: Prolonged use of ice, which seems to be the rule rather than the exception particularly among athletes, exacerbates the very symptoms it is intended to alleviate—bleeding, swelling and pain. As tissue temperatures plummet, blood flow increases dramatically both in the vessels and muscles. Continuous icing causes fluids from the lymphatic vessels to pour into the injured area, increasing local swelling and pressure and potentially contributing to greater pain.
Ice is cheap.
Not long ago, in our not-to-distance past, the lined blurred between economics and the healing arts. Yes, ice is cheap. But is it the best possible treatment available? Is it the safest, most effective treatment for the patient?
How do your products compare with gel wraps or ice-water machines?
Frozen gels should be used with extreme caution as their temperatures can dip to a minus 4° Fahrenheit. Machines that pump ice water through a hose into a form-fitting bladder/wrap are expensive, cumbersome, time consuming to keep clean and free of mildew, and rely on a power source.
RiteTemp™ products are affordable, effective, lightweight, compact, portable, easy to clean, and can be used anywhere an injury occurs or is likely to occur.
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The Marketplace for Controlled-Temperature Technology
[1] The Use of Cold and Heat after Injury: Evidence & Myth. John D. Childs, Ph.D., PT, MBA, Air Force Institute of Technology, Physical Therapy Element, Wilford Hall Medical Center; James J. Irrgang, Ph.D., Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. American College of Sports Medicine, Certified News, April/May/June 2004, Volume 14; Issue Number 2.
[2] The Use of Ice in the Treatment of Acute Soft-Tissue Injury. A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Chris Bleakley, Suzanne McDonough and Domhnall MacAuley, The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2004, Volume 32, pp. 251-261.