The effect of icing with the pro-stim edema management system on cutaneous cooling

The simultaneous administration of ice, compression, and electrical stimulation is a technique sometimes used to control the magnitude and duration of edema. The Pro-Stim Edema Management System (TKO, Inc, Alameda, CA) was developed to make this simultaneous treatment both simplistic and more effective. The system is designed to be more effective because the stimulating electrodes are incorporated into the fabric of the ice pack thus providing little insulation to cold. The purpose of our study was to test the effectiveness of icing with Pro-Stim on cutaneous cooling by comparing it to ice bag application with conventional stimulator electrodes. Twelve subjects received the ice portion of the two experimental conditions for 30 minutes. Cutaneous temperatures were monitored at two sites: one under the electrode and one away from the electrode (centered between the stimulating electrodes). Temperatures were recorded via surface probes interfaced to digital thermometers each minute for 5 minutes before and after icing and during the 30 minutes of ice application. Temperature data were analyzed with three-way factorial analysis of variance with repeated measures. The administration of ice decreased the temperature for all conditions. However, the temperature under the electrode with Pro-Stim was significantly lower during the treatment period than the temperature under the electrode with the conventional system. Thus, Pro-Stim provides more cooling of the entire treatment area. Further research should include an investigation of the effect of the Pro-Stim Edema Management System on cooling while using electrical stimulation.