Opioid abuse is among the most consequential preventable public health threats facing the nation. To combat the opioid epidemic, we offer a variety of pain management solutions that can be used as effective alternatives!

In a recent conversation with Dr. Zack Vaughn, Clinical Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine at Stanford, he revealed that a shocking “80% of all opioids in the world are utilized by the United States” and discusses the dangers of the opioid epidemic and his experience with identifying drug-seeking behavior.

PAIN MANAGEMENT IN AMERICA

With over 10 years of experience, Dr. Vaughn gives his take on navigating decisions on when they should be appropriately prescribed.

Additionally, the crisis has resulted in a serious economic impact.

  • $78.5 Billion economic burden of prescription opioid abuse in U.S. per year according to the CDC.5
  • 92% of the world’s opioid supply is consumed by just 17% of the world’s population.6

COLD THERAPY FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT

Cold therapy (also known as cold treatment or cryotherapy) is widely applied for temporary reduction of swelling and pain after surgery or injury. Evidence-based medicine studies indicate that patients undergoing TKA and arthroscopic ACL reconstruction have benefited from postoperative cryotherapy.7,8,9

In injury recovery, cold therapy has been proven to help:

  • Reduce pain
  • Improve range of motion (ROM)
  • Reduce swelling/edema
  • Reduce muscle spasms

Benefits to combined cold and compression therapy:

  • Significantly helps reduce post-operative pain scores after TKA, ACL reconstruction, and wrist arthroscopy.10,11,12
  • After ACL reconstruction, showed improved ROM immediately, decreased CAS, and decreased edema. 13,14,15
  • Cold therapy is an affordable, easy-to-use, and effective treatment to aid in pain management.

DJO COLD THERAPY PRODUCTS

DJO® meets every cold therapy need with a comprehensive line of products. From cryotherapy delivery units to wraps, sleeves, cuffs and pads, we help you provide effective cold therapy to every part of the body.

DonJoy® IceMan CLEAR3
DonJoy® Iceman Classic3®
Aircast& Cryo/Cuff™ IC Cooler
Aircast® Cryo/Cuff™ Gravity Cooler
DonJoy® FreezeSleeve® MD
DonJoy® Dura*Kold™ Shoulder Wrap & Shoulder/Hip Wrap
DonJoy® Dura*Soft™ Back Wrap

If you have questions regarding pain management, talk with your doctor. Together, you can determine the best course of treatment to get you moving comfortably again.

More information on cold therapy as an alternative to opioid use for pain management.

The opinions expressed are independently prepared and for informational purposes only. They are not necessarily indicative of the views of any other party.

  1. Morone NE, Weiner DK. Pain as the fifth vital sign: exposing the vital need for pain education. Clin Ther. 2013;35(11):1728-1732. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2013.10.001.
  2. Van Zee A. The Promotion and Marketing of OxyContin: Commercial Triumph, Public Health Tragedy. Am J Public Health. 2009;99(2):221-227. doi:10.2105/ AJPH.2007.131714.
  3. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/prescribed.html
  4. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/prescribing/overview.html
  5. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis
  6. Nadler SF, Weingand K, Kruse RJ (2004) Cryotherapy and thermotherapy for the pain practitioner. Pain Physician 7:395–399
  7. Adie S, Naylor JM, Harris IA (2010) Cryotherapy after total knee arthroplasty a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Arthroplasty 25:709–715
  8. . Ni SH, Jiang WT, Guo L, Jin YH, Jiang TL, Zhao Y, Zhao J (2015) Cryotherapy on postoperative rehabilitation of joint arthroplasty. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 23:3354–3361
  9. Martimbianco AL, Gomes da Silva BN, de Carvalho AP, Silva V, Torloni MR, Peccin MS (2014) Effectiveness and safety of cryotherapy after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A systematic review of the literature. Phys Ther Sport 15:261–268 1
  10. Meyer-Marcotty M, Jungling O, Vaske B, Vogt PM, Knobloch K (2011) Standardized combined cryotherapy and compression using Cryo/Cuff after wrist arthroscopy. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 19:314–319
  11. Markert SE (2011) The use of cryotherapy after a total knee replacement: a literature review. Orthop Nurs 30:29–36
  12. Schröder D, Pässler HH (1994) Combination of cold and compression after knee surgery: A prospective randomized study. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 2:158–165
  13. Li LL, Ning N, Hou XL, Zhu H, Chen JL, Chen ZL, Liao DB, Yang H (2010a) Clinical research on the Cryo/cuff system in controlling pain of postoperative knee arthroscopy patients. Mod Prev Med 37:2587–2589 (article in Chinese)
  14. Waterman B, Walker JJ, Swaims C, Shortt M, Todd MS, Machen SM, Owens BD (2012) The Efficacy of Combined Cryotherapy and Compression Compared with Cryotherapy Alone Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. J Knee Surg 25:155–160
  15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4943919/

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