Vol. 1, Issue 4, Part F (2015)

Abstract
The use of cold therapy in acute sports injuries as well as in the rehabilitation of the injured athlete has become a generally accepted treatment method. Various cooling modalities are used to apply cold to the injured area, e.g. ice packs, ice towels, ice massage, frozen gel packs, ethyl chloride and other vapocoolants, chemical reaction devices and inflatable splints using refrigerant gas. Motor performance is affected by temperature with a critical temperature being around 18°C, above and beneath which muscle performance decreases. There is also a critical temperature for the application of cold with inflammation and oedema increasing at temperatures below 15°C. Precautions should be taken because prolonged application at very low temperatures could have deleterious effects.