Enhancing Postoperative Rehabilitation Following Knee Arthroplasty Using a New Cryotherapy Product: A Prospective Study

Abstract

To compare a novel cooling product, Physicool (P, Physicool Ltd, London, England, UK) with a well-established cryotherapy system, Cryocuff (C, Aircast, DJO Global, Vista, California, USA) using pain scores, range of movement (ROM), and cost as outcome measures in the early phase following total knee arthroplasty. We prospectively studied 90 consecutive patients undergoing unilateral total knee arthroplasty by a single surgeon. Following exclusions, 40 patients were recruited to each group. Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and ROM before and after application of cooling device was recorded at 24 and 48 hours after surgery. The cost of treatment per patient was also calculated. The VAS were significantly reduced in P on day 1 postsurgery (p = 0.013) and day 2 (p = 0.001) compared to C. A significant increase in ROM was recorded in P at 24 hours (p = 0.004) and at 48 hours (p = 0.009) postsurgery compared to C. The cost benefit of using P over C was approximately £25 per patient. The Physicool system is a safe and effective cooling method for improving pain and ROM in the early postoperative phase following total knee arthroplasty. Furthermore, it offers substantial cost savings.