Why Are Cold Therapy Devices Causing Skin and Nerve Damage?
Doctors usually prescribe cold therapy devices to patients following surgery or serious injury, but the devices come with very little instruction (or none at all) about recommended temperatures or length of treatment and lack a shut-off or alarm mechanism that would prevent the device running too long or too cold. Many people are told something along the lines of, “The colder the pad and the longer you can keep it on your skin, the better.” Because of existing nerve damage or desensitization from the surgery or injury, patients may not feel how cold the pad is on their skin. Nerve and skin damage then occurs. However, damage also can occur in people who use the product as recommended. What Kinds of Injuries Are Associated with Cold Therapy Devices? Cold therapy patients have suffered severe injuries to the ankles, feet, wrists, hands, shoulders, and knees as a result. Injury types: Injuries typically fall into two different categories: • Nerve damage. Objective tests, such as the elect
