Cold therapy: In post-operative patients, how effective is using cold therapy compared to not using cold therapy in decreasing pain?

Pain is a dynamic and subjective uncomfortable sensation many hospitalized patients experience (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, & Camera, 2014). Pain can be mild or intense, and can be treated through many different therapies, not only pharmaceutically. Without management, pain can severely impact a patient’s quality of life and if left untreated can even develop into chronic, difficult to manage pain (Lewis et al., 2014). Some patients may not wish to rely on pharmaceutical therapy alone, as this can result in side effects or unaffordable expenses; therefore, it is beneficial to offer non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as cold therapy. Cold therapy is the application of ice in treating acute or chronic injuries to manage symptoms of pain. Applying cold on an injured site can decrease inflammation, reduce swelling, and provide pain relief. This works by reducing the blood flow to the area due to vasoconstriction and by decreasing the pain sensation (Lewis et al., 2014) Conclusion: cold therapy is a practical, inexpensive therapy that patients can use independently or with a nurse to decrease their pain experience, and increase their quality of life (Lewis et al., 2014). Our findings show that it is effective in decreasing pain for
post-operative patients (Fang et al., 2010). Used as alternative or adjunct to other pain management interventions, including analgesics, but have fewer side effects (Lewis et al., 2014).