Cold Therapy
Your physician has scheduled you for surgery and one of the items you
will be receiving in post-operative recovery is a cold therapy unit. The
unit consists of a cooler that will hold ice water, a pump to circulate
the ice water and a cold pad. The cold pad will be placed on your surgical
site at the end of your surgery.
When you arrive in
recovery, the unit will be attached and turned on. This unit will go home
with you and should be used as often as possible until your first post-operative
visit. Your physician will then determine your continued usage at that
time.
Cold Therapy vs.
Ice Pack
Cold therapy offers a continuous cold treatment between 45 and 55 degrees,
which is proven to be the optimum temperature to prevent swelling, promote
wound healing and decrease pain. Ice packs allow for a larger range of
temperature fluctuation and provide the correct therapy only a portion
of the time.