Different rate of cooling time and magnitude of cooling temperature during ice bag treatment with and without damp towel wrap

Objective: To compare skin surface temperature during the 20-min application of ice bag with and without damp towel wrap. Design: Repeated measures. Setting: Laboratory setting in an educational institution. Participants: Thirty healthy females. Main outcome measure: Skin surface temperature underneath the modalities. Three modalities used were an ice bag, an ice bag with damp towel wrap and a bag containing room-temperature water (control). Results: During 20-min application, an (unwrapped) ice bag applied directly to the skin led to greater skin surface temperature reduction than that of an ice bag with damp towel wrap. Cooling time to the lowest skin surface temperature during the application of an unwrapped ice bag was shorter than that of a wrapped ice bag. No subjects reported any adverse reactions following the experimental sessions. Conclusion: The application of an ice bag directly to the skin is a more effective cryotherapy technique than that of an ice bag over a damp towel barrier. Thus, clinicians should consider using an ice bag applied directly to an injured area to achieve greater cooling effects. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.