Cryokinetics

Cryokinetics is a rehabilitation technique involving ice application followed by progressive active exercises. It has been shown to be very successful in treating ligament sprains.

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What are Cryokinetic exercises?

Cryokinetics involves applying cold therapy to a part of the body then performing active exercises.
Applying cold before performing rehabilitation exercises allows the exercises to be done pain-free, sooner than they might otherwise would be.
The anaesthesia or numbness arising from ice application does not remove pain-sensing mechanisms, it only removes the current pain from tissue damage. Therefore, if active exercises are too vigorous pain will still occur.

How long should I apply cold for?

Cold therapy should be applied for a maximum of twenty minutes which should be sufficient to produce the numbed response which is required. The process can be repeated for 5 minutes to re-numb the area if necessary.

Exercises performed during cryokinetics shoulde be active exercises. This means the patient performs them independently of any help from a therapist. For example when recovering from a sprained ankle, you might do ankle mobility exercises. Active exercises would involve you moving your ankle up and down yourself. As opposed to a passive exercise where your therapist would move the ankle themselves without any input from the patient.

Cryokinetic exercises should be gradually increased in intensity, providing they remain pain-free. The key to the success of cryokinetics appears to be progressing as quickly as possible from one exercise to the other. Unlike conventional rehabilitation programs where a certain number of reps must be completed, if the athlete can perform the exercise, smoothy, and pain-free then they can progress.

The benefits of cryokinetics include:

Exercise increases blood flow to the injured area, vital in healing, once the initial acute phase has passed and any bleeding has stopped.
Cryokinetic exercise re-establishes neuromuscular function and is possibly much earlier than normal and as such atrophy or wasting of the muscles has not had time to set in.
Swelling is reduced dramatically through the combination of cooling and exercise.