Emergency Department, Chi-Mei Medical Center, School of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University.
J Nurs Res. 2013 Sep;21(3):186-94. doi: 10.1097/jnr.0b013e3182a0af12.
Ice pack therapy has been widely used in treatment for soft tissue injuries. However, no studies have yet explored the most appropriate and effective duration for ice therapy with ice packs.
This study explored the antiswelling and analgesic effects of different ice pack therapy durations on soft tissue injuries as well as patient discomfort.
An experimental design including pretest and three posttests with three groups was used in this study. Using convenience sampling and randomized block assignment, 99 participants with soft tissue injuries from the emergency department of a medical center in southern Taiwan were included in this study. With 33 participants in each group, three groups with ice pack therapy for 10, 20, and 30 minutes were indicated to compare skin temperature, swelling, and pain differences in ice-treated areas as well as participant discomfort.
This study found no significant differences in the effect of different ice pack therapy durations among the three groups. However, this study identified significant differences between pretest and each posttest in terms of changes in skin temperature, pain, and numbness and rash-related discomfort in each group.
CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Research results found that the three different ice pack therapy durations could lower skin temperature and reduce partial pain. The different ice pack therapy durations would cause similar discomfort incidence rates in the three groups. Ice pack therapy for 10 minutes could reduce partial swelling and pain effectively. Accordingly, we suggest that 10 minutes is the optimal ice pack therapy duration for persons with soft tissue injuries. However, the ice pack therapy duration should be adjusted according to individual needs and situation.
冰袋疗法已广泛应用于软组织损伤的治疗。然而，目前还没有研究探讨冰袋疗法最适宜和有效的持续时间。
本研究旨在探讨不同冰袋治疗持续时间对软组织损伤的消肿和止痛效果以及患者不适的影响。
本研究采用预测试和三组后测试的实验设计，共纳入来自台湾南部一家医疗中心急诊科的 99 名软组织损伤患者。采用便利抽样和随机区组分配方法，将患者分为三组，分别接受 10、20 和 30 分钟的冰袋治疗，以比较治疗区域的皮肤温度、肿胀和疼痛差异以及患者的不适程度。
本研究未发现三组不同冰袋治疗持续时间的效果有显著差异。然而，组内比较发现，三组在预测试和每个后测试之间，皮肤温度、疼痛、麻木和皮疹相关不适的变化均存在显著差异。
结论/对实践的启示：研究结果表明，三种不同的冰袋治疗持续时间均可降低皮肤温度，减轻部分疼痛。三组患者的冰袋治疗后，均会产生类似的不适发生率。10 分钟的冰袋治疗可有效减轻部分肿胀和疼痛。因此，我们建议软组织损伤患者的最佳冰袋治疗持续时间为 10 分钟。然而，冰袋治疗的持续时间应根据个体需求和情况进行调整。
