Physiotherapy – Use of the Aircast Cryocuff

Knee injuries and the management of post-operativefor providing both compression and cooling for the
knee conditions require physios to apply cold therapymanagement of acute or post-operative knee (or
to the joints to control knee effusions and pain. Thisother joint) conditions. It consists of three parts:
is difficult to do with traditional methods but theThe Reservoir. This cylindrical bucket is plastic with a
Aircast Cryocuff is a flexible and efficient device tolid, is stable, light and holds the water and ice needed
achieve effective cryotherapy and compression.for the cuff. Level indicators inside the bucket guide
Physiotherapists commonly assess and treat kneethe physio to the correct mixture of cold water and
injuries and post-operative knee conditions, managingice. Once full the lid is screwed on the bucket is
them promptly for speedy recovery and return towatertight and can be turned upside down or fall
normal function. Recreational activities and sportover onto its side without leakage.
involve many knee injuries such as ligamentousThe Hose. The hose from the reservoir to the cuff is
injuries to the medial, lateral and anterior cruciateinsulated and allows rapid clipping and unclipping to and
ligaments, meniscal injuries to the knee cartilages,from the cuff.
dislocation of the kneecap and injury to the kneeThe Cuff. This wraps intimately round the knee to
capsule and knee joint replacement.give a good contact and comes in small, medium and
The knee is the largest synovial joint in the body andlarge.
when the joint is damaged it responds by becomingPhysiotherapy Application of the Cryocuff
inflamed, increasing the metabolic rate of the tissuesThe knee size of the patient 15 centimetres above
and secreting large amounts of synovial fluid into thethe knee determines the size of the cuff needed and
joint. This can lead to a knee effusion, a large andthen the physio fits the cuff firmly to the patient's
tight swelling of the knee, at times called "water onknee with the Velcro. The cuff needs to be deflated
the knee". An effusion can be painful in itself and itand firmly attached to get the benefits of the
inhibits normal muscle function, thereby interferingcompression, otherwise the cuff will inflate on the
with muscle action and joint recovery.knee and but not squeeze the tissues.
Physiotherapy methods of cooling tissues usuallyThe bucket should contain the correct mixture of
have some disadvantages:cold water and cubed ice with the top screwed on
Providing cold and compression at the same time iswell to avoid leaks. The physio attaches the hose to
very difficult/impossiblethe clip on the cuff and lifts the bucket above knee
Applying ice to the knee does not provide effectivelevel to allow the cold water to fill the cuff by
cooling in many casesgravity. The height of the bucket and how long it is
An ice burn can occur with ice by cooling the skin tooheld up will determine how tight the cuff is inflated
profoundlywith water.
Long periods of cooling are difficult to maintainThe patient is able to disconnect the hose from the
Individuals find it hard to keep the cooling going forcuff and remain mobile while the cuff stays cold for
long periodsan hour or so, providing the cryotherapy and
Patients cannot be mobile with traditional icecompression required. They can also do their
techniques.exercises with the cuff in place. Patients can then
Research indicates that compression rather thanreconnect the hose, allow the water to flow back
cooling might be the really important aspect in theinto the bucket then remix it by tilting the bucket
management of the acute knee, so this needs to bebefore repeating the process of refilling the cuff with
the prioritycold water. The procedure can then be kept up for
The Aircast Cryocuffsix to eight hours before fresh ice needs to be
The Aircast Cryocuff is a portable, convenient deviceprovided for the bucket.