Effectiveness and methods of cryotherapy in reducing swelling after total knee arthroplasty: A systematic review on randomized controlled trials

• Published in: Nursing open Vol. 10; no. 9; pp. 5989 - 5998
• Main Authors: Lee, Yoonyoung, Shin, Yong Soon, Kim, Hyun Jung, An, Jiwon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-09-2023; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Clinical trials; Cryotherapy; evidence‐based practice; Intervention; intervention research; Joint replacement surgery; Knee; Medical research; nursing practice; Patient satisfaction; Plastics; postoperative nursing; swelling; Systematic Review; Systematic Reviews; total knee arthroplasty; Netherlands; Taiwan; total knee arthroplasty; evidence-based practice; cryotherapy; intervention research; nursing practice; postoperative nursing; swelling; systematic reviews
• ISSN: 2054-1058; 2054-1058
• DOI: 10.1002/nop2.1906

Aim
This study aims to investigate the effect and methods of cryotherapy in reducing swelling after total knee arthroplasty.
Design
Systematic review.
Methods
We searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, KoreaMed, KERIS and National Science Digital Library for randomized controlled trials on 19 August 2021. This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2009 checklist.
Results
A total of eight randomized controlled trials were systematically reviewed to determine the effect and methods of cryotherapy on reducing postoperative swelling. The effects were not significantly different in six studies. Application time per cryotherapy session was 10–20 min when using an ice pack and up to 48 h when using an automated device. The duration ranged from 2 days to 1 week or until discharge, and the frequency varied from 2 to 72 times per day.