The Utility of Therapeutic Cooling in Sport-Related Concussion: A Critically Appraised Topic

Clinical Scenario: Sport-related concussions (SRC) can have a substantial impact on quality of life, necessitating cost-effective interventions to accelerate recovery. Ice or cooling therapy after SRC may be such an intervention; however, this area of research has not been well studied. This critically appraised topic focuses on the impact of ice and cooling therapy on SRC outcomes. Clinical Question: Does ice or cooling therapy reduce symptom burden or recovery time compared with standard care in athletes after SRC? Summary of Key Findings: Four studies met inclusion criteria. In two studies, elite athletes reported reduced symptom burden and returned to sport faster when a cooling intervention was applied immediately compared with standard treatment. The other two studies found that adolescent athletes had reduced symptom burden when a cooling intervention was applied within a few days of injury when combined with standard treatment. Clinical Bottom Line: Immediate cooling after SRC may reduce symptoms and facilitate recovery in adolescent and elite athletes. Strength of Recommendation: There is limited evidence to suggest that cooling therapy reduces symptom burden and facilitates SRC recovery. More research is needed to determine the potential mechanism of action and optimize treatment timing, frequency, and duration.