The Rate of Intramuscular Tissue Temperature Reduction Between Wetted Ice with Elastic Wrap and Game Ready®

Abstract

In recent years, the Game Ready® unit has become a popular cryotherapy modality to treat musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to determine which cryotherapy method, wetted ice bag with elastic wrap or Game Ready®, decreases triceps surae intramuscular tissue temperature the most during a 30-minute treatment. The independent variables were the cryotherapy modalities (Game Ready® and wetted ice with elastic wrap) and time (baseline, 10, 20, and 30 minutes). Twenty patients participated in this study. Wetted ice with elastic wrap decreased tissue temperatures significantly greater than Game Ready® at 20 minutes (P = 0.03), and 30 minutes (P = 0.02). Since wetted ice with elastic wrap produced a greater and faster decline in intramuscular tissue temperature compared to Game Ready® on medium pressure, this cryotherapy modality should be utilized in the immediate care phase of the injury repair process.