The effect of cold therapy on morbidity subsequent to arthroscopic lateral retinacular release

Of all arthroscopic procedures, lateral retinacular release carries the greatest potential for morbidity. Complication rates of up to 7.2% have been reported, secondary to intraoperative and postoperative hematoma formation. A prospective double-blind study was conducted in which patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups treated with or without cold therapy for 24 hours postoperatively, subsequent to arthroscopic lateral retinacular release utilizing electrosurgery. Seventy-four percent of the patients treated with cold therapy had good to excellent results postoperatively, and none had significant complications. Thirty-two percent of the patients treated without cold therapy had good to excellent results postoperatively, and two patients experienced significant complications in this group.