Physiological

Effects

Vasoconstriction
( Circulatory
response )

Descriptions

Cold will increase the muscle tone causes vasoconstriction , then

reduce the blood flow and thus reduce bleeding

The initial vasoconstriction often used to limit the extravasations of

blood into tissues following injuries.

Then the vessel will vasodilation . This process of vasoconstriction

and vasodilation will alternate.

The alternation will affect the capillary blood flow and it is across
the capillary membrane that tissue fluid can be removed from the

Peripheral nerve

area and returned to systemic circulation.

This process known as Hunting Response

Cold can change the conduction velocity and synaptic activity. It

effects

will block the synaptic transmission. Thus , it will raise the pain

Muscle

tolerance and pain threshold

The longer duration of exposure to cold, the temperature of

muscle will decrease, thus the muscle strength decrease.

This decreases due to the result of reduce blood flow of muscle at

performance
effects

lower temperature and also resulting from increases viscous

properties of muscle
CRYOTHERAPY

Indications

Descriptions
It will slow the nerve conduction of pain
Cold also reduce pain by increasing the pain threshold.

The analgesic affect may will occur the gate control mechanism;

Acute/chronic pain

the sensory signal will interfere the pain from travelling to brain.
Pain also decrease from reduce the muscle spasm by

Acute/subacute

interrupting pain-spasm-pain cycle.

Cold will decreases the metabolic rate, thus required blood flow,

inflammation

Acute/subacute muscle

of the cells which were not originally involved in the injury, hence

control the spread of inflammation .

Muscle spasm is often response to pain and cold therapy useful

for pain relief and therefore reducing the muscles spasm.

It will slows the conduction velocity of sensory and motor nerves
as well as the activity of muscle spindle cells which are

spasm

responsible for muscle tone , hence resulting decrease in motor

Acute injury

activity,
By applying the cold treatment, it causes vasoconstriction of

blood vessel, it reduce the blood flow. Hence , reduce the injury
DOMS is causes after performing high intensity exercise.
By applying cold treatment, it cause vasoconstriction to the
blood vessels helping to reduce inflammation around the muscle

Delayed Onset Muscle

Soreness ( DOMS )

micro traumas caused by DOMS.

It also helps in increasing the blood circulation and fastening the
recovery.

CONTRAINDICATION
Contraindications

Descriptions

Cold cannot be applied to the patients which have

hypersensitivity to cold because it may develop a rash

Hypersensitivity to cold

characteristics.
The rash may be localized or appear widespread over
the body.

Cold temperature may impede the wound healing

process by reducing blood circulation and decreasing

Uncovered open wound

metabolic rate.
It also can cause the spreading of infectious skin

rashes.
Cold therapy should not be used over a new wound as

Open wound / skin condition

it is cold enough to increase tissue damage rather than

reduce it
Cryotherapy should not apply over area with impaired
circulation because this may aggravate the condition or

Impaired circulation ( Raynauds

disease )

lead to cold injuries.

Raynauds disease in one the examples of impaired

circulation
It is the excessive reduce blood flow due to cold that
can causes discoloration of the fingers, toes and other

areas. It also can causes nail to brittle.

It affects small blood vessel in the extremities.
Peripheral vascular diseases refer to the disorder of
circulatory system cause by build-up fatty material

Peripheral vascular disease

within vessels called as atherosclerosis.

Cold should not be applied because it causes
narrowing the blood vessels.