A reassessment of existing systematic reviews evaluating the effectiveness of cryotherapy in patients following total knee arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE

This study reassessed systematic reviews on cryotherapy efficacy following total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

METHODS

Ten databases were searched from January 1, 2018 to September 15, 2023 for relevant systematic reviews. Two researchers independently screened articles and extracted data.

RESULTS

Five systematic reviews were included. Two of the studies were found to exhibit high methodological quality, while the remaining three demonstrated exceedingly low methodological quality. The deficiencies in quality were attributed to several factors, including the lack of a predefined research protocol, absence of exclusion criteria, unclarified funding sources for the included studies, and potential for publication bias. Of the 18 outcome indicators, Swelling was intermediate-quality evidence , Hemoglobin, Pain score within 24 hours after surgery, Pain score within 48 hours after surgery, Pain score within 72 hours after surgery, Blood loss volume, Pain score on the next day of surgery and Range of Motion (ROM) were low-quality evidence, and other outcome indicators were exceedingly low-quality evidence.

CONCLUSION

Cryotherapy appears to offer benefits such as pain relief, reduction in joint swelling, and improved joint mobility during the initial post-operative phase following TKA. However, further high-quality studies are required to validate the efficacy and safety of cryotherapy for patients undergoing TKA, given the identified limitations in the quality of the available outcome indicators.