Extract
Question: In patients with sports-related soft-tissue injury, is
cold gel more effective than placebo in reducing pain and disability?Design: Randomized (allocation concealed), blinded (clinicians and
patients), controlled trial with 28-day follow-up.Setting: A university hospital in Kuopio, Finland.Patients: 74 patients (mean age, 32 yr; 64% men) who had sustained a
sports-related soft-tissue injury of the ankle, leg, knee, or hand within the
previous 48 hours. Exclusion criteria were a pain score of <30 mm on the
visual analog scale (VAS); pregnancy; the presence of cutaneous lesions or
injuries at the site of application, thus precluding the use of gel therapy;
or an injury in need of surgery or physiotherapy. Complete follow-up was
achieved for 73 patients
(99%).