Index to Chiropractic Literature
Index to Chiropractic Literature
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Monday, October 27, 2025
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Article ID
Title
URL https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7486461/
Journal J Chiropr Med. 2019 Dec;18(4):261-269
Author(s)
Subject(s)
Peer Review Yes
Publication Type Clinical Trial
Abstract/Notes

Objective: Resources of heat or cold therapies have been widely used for their low cost, analgesic action and for assisting the rehabilitation of acute or chronic injuries. The objective of this study was to search for associations between skin surface temperature and pressure pain tolerance thresholds (PPTs) of healthy individuals undergoing cryotherapy and thermotherapy.

Methods: This is an experimental clinical trial with 22 healthy university students aged between 18 and 35 years. Volunteers underwent thermography and algometry assessments at 6 points in both knees before, immediately after, and 20 minutes after the application of frozen (cryotherapy) or heated (thermotherapy) gel bags in the right knee for 20 minutes. Data were analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance, Student's t test, and Pearson or Spearman correlation tests.

Results: There was a significant change in skin surface temperature after cryotherapy and thermotherapy, which was maintained after 20 minutes of withdrawal (P < .001). After the intervention, no significant differences were observed regarding the PPT compared to the baseline measurements, nor between the experimental and control knees.

Conclusion: Cryotherapy and thermotherapy produced significant changes in the temperature of the evaluated points after their application. Despite this, no differences in pain tolerance were observed, and there was little association between skin surface temperature and PPT in the knees of healthy women after application of the resources.

Author keywords: Pain; Cryotherapy; Hyperthermia; Induced; Thermography; Analgesia

Author affiliations:  Master Program in Health Promotion, Adventist University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; click on the above link for free full text. PubMed Record | PDF

 
      

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