Rate of Tissue Temperature Reduction Between Wetted Ice and Game Ready
Condition: Cryotherapy Effect
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study compares the tissue temperature decrease between a wetted ice bag (ice and water)
      with an elastic wrap to the Game Ready® treatment. The goal is to determine which one
      decreases the temperature the most and the fastest, which is important in immediate care
      treatments of a musculoskeletal injury.
    

Detailed description: 
      The purpose of this study will be to determine which cryotherapy method, wetted ice bag and
      elastic wrap or Game Ready® set at medium pressure, decreases tissue temperature the most
      during a 30-minute treatment. Due to the convenience of Game Ready®, it is being used as an
      immediate care intervention. Findings in the literature have indicated wetted ice cools
      tissue temperature more than cubed or crushed ice based on the assumption that colder is
      better. Conversely, research on Game Ready® has revealed ice bags and slush buckets cause a
      greater reduction in tissue temperature compared to Game Ready®. However, no study exists
      comparing the effects of Game Ready® versus wetted ice on intramuscular tissue temperature
      reduction as immediate care interventions. Based on the results, this study may help
      contribute to the existing literature on tissue temperature reduction of both Game Ready® and
      wetted ice to determine the better modality to use for immediate care. The research questions
      guiding this study will be:

        1. Which cryotherapy method, Game Ready® or wetted ice with elastic wrap, will be the most
           effective at decreasing intramuscular tissue temperature during a 30-minute application
           in patients aged 18-40 years old?

        2. Which cryotherapy method, Game Ready® or wetted ice with elastic wrap, will achieve an
           intramuscular tissue temperature reduction the fastest?
    

Intervention name(s): Game Ready® device; Wetted Ice Bag with Elastic Wrap
Intervention type(s): Device; Other
Intervention description(s): The half leg boot sleeve of the Game Ready® device (CoolSystems, Inc., Alamda, CA) will be applied to each participants' lower leg and ankle for 30 minutes set on the medium pressure setting (5-50 mmHG).; A standard ice bag filled with 2000 mL of cubed ice and 300 mL of 5˚C water will be applied using an elastic wrap to each participants' lower leg for 30 minutes. An elastic wrap applied at approximately 75% percent tension starting distal to the treatment area and moving proximally overlapping by half will be applied over the wetted ice bag.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: A 2 x 4 repeated measures design to determine decreases in triceps surae intramuscular tissue temperature will be used for this study. The independent variables will be the cryotherapy modalities (Game Ready® and wetted ice bag with elastic wrap) and time (baseline, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes). The dependent variable will be the medial triceps surae intramuscular tissue temperature.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: cooling rates