SynthesisOrthopaedic surgery2024
Cryotherapy for Rehabilitation After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Orthopaedic surgery, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Preoperative knee joint hypothermia reduces inflammation and recovery time and increases range of motion after total knee arthroplasty: A randomized controlled trial.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Trial
- Infection prevention in total knee arthroplasty: current concepts, controversies, and a clinical algorithm.European journal of translational myology · 2026Article
- Early-Phase Quadriceps Activation After Knee Surgery: A Narrative Review of Current Rehabilitation Interventions and Identification of an Unmet Clinical Need.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Cryotherapy combined with standard rehabilitation and early functional recovery after knee arthroplasty: a retrospective cohort study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Application effect of whole-process nursing model based on smart healthcare mode in patients undergoing Mako robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Article
- Therapeutic outcomes of cryotherapy plus Graston Technique on pain and activities of daily living in individuals with knee pain.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Optimizing outcomes in total knee arthroplasty: the role of patellar resurfacing and tibial ınsert type.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveDespite being well-studied and widely utilized, the efficacy of cryotherapy after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in enhancing early rehabilitation lacks consensus. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate (1) whether cryotherapy is able to promote the rehabilitation of patients undergoing TKA and (2) whether continuous cold flow device has superior results than cold pack in cryotherapy.
methodsA comprehensive trial searching was performed in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar electronic databases in May, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing cryotherapy with no cryotherapy or comparing continuous cold flow device with cold pack after TKA were included. The primary outcome was visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain, and secondary outcomes included opioid consumption, blood loss (hemoglobin decrease and drainage), range of motion (ROM), swelling, length of stay (LOS), and adverse event.
resultsA total of 31 RCTs were included in this meta-analysis with 18 trials comparing cryotherapy with no cryotherapy and 13 trials comparing continuous cold flow device with cold pack. Pooled results showed cryotherapy group had significantly lower VAS scores than no cryotherapy group on postoperative day (POD) 1 (MD, -0.59 [95% CI, -1.14 to -0.04]; p = 0.04), POD 2 (MD, -0.84 [95% CI, -1.65 to -0.03]; p = 0.04), and POD 3 (MD, -0.86 [95% CI, -1.65 to -0.07]; p = 0.03). Cryotherapy group also showed reduced opioid consumption, reduced hemoglobin loss, decreased drainage, and improved ROM after TKA. Continuous cold flow device group had comparable VAS, opioid consumption, blood loss, ROM, knee swelling, and LOS with cold pack group.
conclusionCryotherapy can effectively alleviate postoperative pain, reduce blood loss, improve ROM, and thus promote the postoperative rehabilitation for TKA patients, but the continuous cold flow device did not show better efficacy than cold packs. These findings support the routine use of cryotherapy for the rapid rehabilitation of TKA patients, and the traditional cold pack is still recommended.
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