Quote:
Originally Posted by Lonehunter21
I finally had the time to sit down an go through all the posts more and I have some serious concerns. In one of the posts about PT and how ice/contrast baths should be avoided, my 2nd round of PT used ice and contrast baths quite heavily and told me to do so at home. Could this use of ice and contrast baths have lead to my RSD staying around for as long as it has? And if PT starts me on contrast baths and ice what should I do? I was told the contrast baths were good to help stimulate the nevers in my ankle to get them to calm down and the ice was given at the end of the PT to help reduce swelling seeing how I have a severe ligament injury.
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Oh GOSH........NEVER let them do ice or contrast baths on you.
"Application of ice exaggerates vasoconstriction, coagulates and damages the myelinated nerve fibres, aggravates the nerve damage and enlarges the area of Mechanoallodynia resulting in bias toward SIP rather than SMP. Procedures such as carpal tunnel surgery for inflammation due to CRPS, arthroscopy, or exploratory surgical procedures, also aggravate the sensory damage and reproduce a similar allodynic phenomenon.
In our study the application of ice for 2 months or longer resulted in a higher percentage of stage III-IV as compared to no ice or less than 2 months treatment(P<0.001). As ice selectively damages and coagulates the myelinated nerve fibers(which are rich in lipids), the allodynia is gradually transformed to thermatomal hyposthesia augmented by ice induced hypothermia."
http://www.rsdconsultants.com/crps_abstract.htm
American RSDHope
RSD - CRPS - Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
CRPS /RSD Facts
CRPS/RSDS AND ICE - CRPS AND ICE
CRPS/RSDS PATIENTS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED WITH ICE. NOT EVER!
NOT ICE, NOT HOLD/COLD THERAPY, NOT HOT/COLD CONTRAST THERAPY, NOTHING DEALING WITH ICE AND THE AFFECTED RSD AREA.
NEVER.
EVER.
IT CAN MAKE THE CRPS/RSDS WORSEN AND/OR SPREAD. IT CAN ACCELERATE THE PATIENT THROUGH THE STAGES.
THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO KNOW AND TO SHARE WITH YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST.
Ice will only cause the blood vessels to constrict more, reducing the blood flow to the extremities and increasing the pain. It can damage the nerve's myelin sheath (the protective cover basically for the nerve).
Patients can actually have their CRPS/RSDS go into the next stage from repeated application of ice packs.
Please let your Physical Therapist know this, for your sake and others.
For the medical reasoning behind this, please follow this link for one of the better explanations;
Yes, ABSOLUTELY, the ice could have exacerbated the RSD, delayed healing and circulation (already a problem in RSD) and could cause it to spread. If they try to tell you otherwise, print out the information on that link and SHOW them. Most docs and PT have never dealt with RSD before (some have never even heard of it) so they simply do not know. I point blank told my PT, after she suggested contrast baths, that it is clearly contraindicated in patients with RSD. Our bodies do NOT function like "normal" healing bodies......what stimulates circulation in others will halt it in ours and destroy the fatty covering on the nerve cells called the myelin sheath.
I hope you find these links informative.
http://www.nationalpainfoundation.or...calTherapy.asp