Cold Water Therapy Benefits - Indications, Procedure, and Benefits

What Is Cold Water Therapy?

Cold water therapy is one form of cryotherapy in which cold water is applied to relieve symptoms like pain, bleeding, and swelling in cases of acute injury. Cold water therapy has been proven to produce an analgesic effect and reduces many other conditions like muscle soreness and depression, and it has also helped boost the immune system. It is also called hydrotherapy, aquatic therapy, water therapy, pool therapy, and balneotherapy (spa and hot spring).

How Does It Work?

Cold therapy helps reduce pain by vasoconstriction, and it can be used easily almost by everyone, including a few exceptions. It is non-irritating and easily accessible to everyone. When the body is fully immersed in water, a full range of motion can be accomplished by the individual, even with painful joints. There will be an improvement in exercise ability due to stress reduction. Chemical effects like skin integrity will be brought about by the ions, oxygen, and herbs mixed with the water during therapy. The hydrostatic pressure will help improve blood circulation to various organs.

What Are the Types?

1. Cold Water Immersion: It can be done in various ways. However, the most common way is to immerse in a tub containing cold water that has a temperature below ten-degree Celsius for about five minutes.

2. Cold Showers: A simple shower in cold water provides many emotional and physical health benefits. However, it cannot produce extremely low temperatures offered by other types of therapy.

3. Cryotherapy: It is a simple and effective procedure that reduces inflammation and muscle spasm. Ice massage with ice cubes for three to five minutes or with an ice bag for 15 minutes can be used directly over the painful areas. It acts as an analgesic and provides the most compulsive rest.

4. Ice baths: Ice baths consist of extremely cold icy water, and they should be done for a concise period of time as tolerated by the patient.

What Are the Indications?

• Ideal for subsiding inflammation.

• It can be used in closed wounds.

• It can be used for treating thermal burns.

• Beneficial in localized muscle spasms.

• It can be used to treat symptoms of reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Reflex sympathetic dystrophy is generally seen after the fracturing of the radius and is characterized by an edematous hand with severe pain.

• It can be used in the operated site after fracturing to reduce pain.

• Used in shoulder dislocation to provide total relaxation.

• In wrist injuries like Colle's fracture, it can be used for pain reduction. Colle’s fracture is a fracture of the radius bone of the forearm resulting in the displacement of the radius bone.

• Spasticity (muscle stiffness) can be reduced through cryotherapy.

• In acute osteomyelitis, pain, and muscle spasms can be relieved through cryotherapy, ice packs, or ice water packs.

• Cryotherapy in the palmar aspect of the wrist in carpal tunnel syndrome has helped reduce symptoms. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful condition of the wrist due to compression of the median nerve, and there will be symptoms like tingling and numbness.

• In the acute phase of patellar tendinitis, cryotherapy can be used for pain management. The patellar tendon is a tissue connecting the shin bone to the knee cap. An injury to the patellar tendon can cause knee pain, stiffness, and swelling. This is called patellar tendonitis.

What Are the Contraindications?

• Ice massage is contraindicated in anesthetic areas.

• It cannot be used in patients having circulatory insufficiency.

• It cannot be used in gross and open wounds.

• It is contraindicated in conditions like Raynaud's phenomenon and cryoglobulinemia. Raynaud’s phenomenon is a vascular disease in which there is an exaggerated response to cold or emotional disturbance. Cryoglobulinemia is a condition in which there are abnormal proteins in the blood, and these can clump together, causing restricted blood flow and resulting in organ damage.

How Is It Done?

Crush ice of 0 to 20 degrees Celsius is formed into packs and applied directly to the injury site or site of pain for about 15 to 20 minutes. Cold water immersion can also be done to provide the desired therapeutic effect. Ice massage can be done to treat a smaller area for up to ten minutes in circular motions. Use a kitchen towel to hold the ice cube and wash it in tap water before application to avoid ice burn. It can be done on a regular basis but taking it slow is important. An alternative way is to remain in normal water and slowly transfer to cold water. The aim of this therapy is to get the unpleasant feeling of the cold temperature to last. This will create numbness and reduce pain and spasticity.

What Are the Benefits?

1. Pain Management: Cold water therapy has been proven to be beneficial for chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia, rheumatism, and many other musculoskeletal disorders. Pain perception has been reduced due to the release of hormones like norepinephrine, which is brought about by cold water therapy.

2. Reduces Inflammation: Cold water immersion after a workout has been proven to reduce inflammation and can be used by patients affected due to rheumatoid arthritis.

3. Improved Metabolic Output: Exposure to cold can induce thermogenesis in humans, which will help improve the metabolic rate. It has also been proven to facilitate weight loss.

4. Heightened Immune Response: Frequent and daily exposure to cold can condition the body to accept any kind of physiological stress. Therefore, immunity will also improve in scenarios with sudden external stimuli that can cause dysfunction in the body.

5. Mental Strength Enhancement: Taking ice baths regularly can improve determination and willingness. Accepting the cold temperature for too long can mentally impact the individual and reduce stress levels keeping the mind free.

6. Stress Reduction: Cold water therapy regularly will help reduce stress levels and also improve the sleep cycle.

7. Bleeding Control: It helps slow down localized blood flow and facilitates vasoconstriction.

8. Analgesic Effect: Cold water therapy helps reduce pain by increasing the threshold of stimulation of pain nerve fibers.

9. Increased Strength: Cold water therapy has helped to improve muscle strength after treatment. It also helped improve neuromuscular function and helped reduce post-workout soreness.

10. Temperature Control: It helps lower the intraarticular and intramuscular temperature and reduces pain.

11. Healing: Cold exposure can provide vasodilatation resulting in an increased blood supply to the applied area, thereby accelerating the healing process.

12. Sports Training: In athletes and sports persons, water therapy can help improve performance as it can improve strengthening between training and competition.

Conclusion

Cold water therapy has a wide range of uses and is implemented along with physiotherapy, rehabilitation therapy, aromatherapy, and disease treatment strategies. Aerobics and exercise training is also done using this therapy. Functional restoration has been possible in patients suffering from stroke and paralysis. In addition, post-traumatic recovery is accelerated through cold water therapy. The benefits of cold water therapy are numerous, and it is very easily accessible and available.