Efficacy of Cold Gel for Soft Tissue Injuries,
A Prospective Randomized Double-Blinded Trial
Olavi V. Airaksinen, MD, PhD, Nils Kyrklund, MD, Kyösti Latvala, MD, Jukka P. Kouri, MD, Mats Grönblad, MD, PhD, and Pertti Kolari, PhD
From the Departments of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, and Helsinki University Hospital and the Invalid Foundation, Helsinki, Finland
BACKGROUND: The use of cold treatment to limit edema, decrease pain, and induce effective muscle relaxation in soft tissue injuries is widespread.
PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of a cold gel with that of a placebo gel in patients with a soft tissue injury.
METHODS: Seventy-four patients with sports-related soft tissue injury were randomly assigned to active cold gel (ice Power) or placebo gel groups. The gel was applied four times daily on the skin for 14 days. Clinical assessment was made after 7, 14 and 28 days with use of visual analog scale ratings.
Published: THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE, Vol. 31, No. 5, 2003