Guest guest Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 When I practiced human medicine (9 years) I did not use ice on my arthritic patients unless they were having an " acute " flare-up of their condition. Arthritis is chronic, therefore not usually having a daily inflammatory process (unless it is rhumatoid arthritis) Instead, it tends to create stiffness and achiness. I found the cold would make them stiffer and ache even more. Therefore, I recommended warm to my arthritic clients because it would help them feel less achy and stiff, and now I recommend it to my owners of arthritic dogs. There is no reason why directly after exercise however, cold can not be used for 10-15 min to prevent any inflammation from the activity having just been performed and then warmth later for comfort. My thesis for my Master's degree was on the benefits of aquatic therapy with arthritis, so I had the opportunity as well to see what worked best for my subjects in addition to the aquatics. Just my thoughts on the matter based on experience, and I too am usually a HUGE advocate for cold! Shari Zelman Sprague, MPT, CCRT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hello there, All arthritis is a constant cycle of some degree of inflammatory process. The level of inflammation and the inflammatory factors involved varies depending on the underlying cause of arthritis. Varying from prostaglandins, matrix metalloprotease induction and leukotrienes to antigen/antibody complexes and the complement cascade. (With many more in between). However, some patients get very uncomfortable with ice and therefore I do not always use it. " A dog is the only one in life who loves you more than he loves himself " Josh Billings " Nothing is permanent in this life, not even our troubles " Chaplin From: VetRehab [mailto:VetRehab ] On Behalf Of Shari Sprague Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 9:06 AM To: VetRehab Subject: Re:Icing When I practiced human medicine (9 years) I did not use ice on my arthritic patients unless they were having an " acute " flare-up of their condition. Arthritis is chronic, therefore not usually having a daily inflammatory process (unless it is rhumatoid arthritis) Instead, it tends to create stiffness and achiness. I found the cold would make them stiffer and ache even more. Therefore, I recommended warm to my arthritic clients because it would help them feel less achy and stiff, and now I recommend it to my owners of arthritic dogs. There is no reason why directly after exercise however, cold can not be used for 10-15 min to prevent any inflammation from the activity having just been performed and then warmth later for comfort. My thesis for my Master's degree was on the benefits of aquatic therapy with arthritis, so I had the opportunity as well to see what worked best for my subjects in addition to the aquatics. Just my thoughts on the matter based on experience, and I too am usually a HUGE advocate for cold! Shari Zelman Sprague, MPT, CCRT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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