title: The effects of different dressings on the skin temperature of the knee during cryotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of different dressing types on the efficiency of cryotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen normal volunteers were divided equally into group 1-no dressing, group 2-thin adhesive dressing (tegaderm), and group 3--bulky dressing ("wool and crepe"). Cryotherapy (cryocuff and autochill) was applied to one knee with the other knee serving as control. Skin temperature was measured bilaterally every 5 min for 2 h. Statistical analysis used temperature differences between control and test knees.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean baseline skin temperature differences were not statistically different among the three groups (p=0.96). The mean skin temperature decreases at 2 h measured, 17 degrees C (S.D.=0.8) in group 1, 17 degrees C (S.D.=1.9) in group 2, and 5 degrees C (S.D.=1.4) in group 3. "Wool and crepe" significantly impaired the cooling effect of cryotherapy (p<0.001). Tegaderm showed no significant effect (p=0.6).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Wool and crepe dressings following knee surgery would prevent effective cryotherapy, whereas, thin adhesive dressings would not.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Glenfield Hospital, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK. talal_ibrahim@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Talal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Shong Meng
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.forename: Grahame John
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Saint Clair Taylor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001458:Bandages; D017679:Cryotherapy; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology*