Continuous local cooling for pain relief following total hip arthroplasty

This study is the first to evaluate whether continuous cryotherapy can relieve pain soon after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Patients who had undergone THA for osteoarthritis were divided into 2 prospective, randomized groups: the cryotherapy group was fitted with a computer-controlled cooling device for 4 days, and the control group was not. The pain scores measured on a visual analog scale between days 1 and 4 following surgery were significantly lower for the cryotherapy group than for the control group. Furthermore, postoperative analgesic use by the cryotherapy group was significantly lower than by the control group. The results of this study support the potential benefit of a cold compressive device for pain reduction during the postoperative recovery of patients undergoing THA.