In vivo effects of cold therapy and bandaging on core temperatures of equine superficial and deep digital flexor tendons.
Authors: McCarthy Robert D, Ordóñez Heather J, Semevolos Stacy A
Journal: Veterinary surgery : VS
Summary
# Editorial Summary McCarthy and colleagues investigated how effectively different cooling methods reduce core temperatures within the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons of the equine forelimb, using implanted thermocouples in paired limbs of six sedated horses to directly measure tissue response. A compression cooling system achieved substantially greater temperature reductions than conventional ice boots—dropping tendon core temperatures by approximately 10.8°C and 9.8°C respectively, compared to 7.5°C and 6.5°C with ice boots—representing a clinically meaningful superiority in therapeutic cooling capacity. Of particular interest to practitioners applying post-treatment bandaging, compression bandages subsequently caused a significant rise in flexor tendon core temperatures of around 4°C, though this increase remained within normal physiological range. These findings suggest that compression cooling systems warrant consideration as the preferred modality for acute flexor tendon injuries when rapid and sustained temperature reduction is the objective, whilst highlighting the inadvertent thermal effects of standard lower limb bandaging that should be factored into post-treatment management protocols.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •If cooling tendon injuries, use compression cooling systems instead of ice boots—they deliver 3°C more temperature reduction and do it more reliably
- •Be aware that bandaging a limb will warm the tendons; if you need sustained cooling post-injury, compression cooling systems are superior to bandaging alone
- •Cooling effectiveness plateaus quickly (within 60 min), so plan your cold therapy protocol with realistic treatment windows
Key Findings
- •Compression cooling system achieved greater core temperature reduction than ice boots: 10.8°C (SDFT) and 9.8°C (DDFT) versus 7.5°C and 6.5°C respectively (p=0.04)
- •Standing bandages significantly increased SDFT and DDFT core temperatures by 4.1°C and 3.7°C respectively during application (p<0.0001)
- •Temperature reductions with compression cooling remained stable during the 60-minute application period in both tendons