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Although cryotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of acute and
chronic athletic injuries, the deleterious effects of limb cooling,
such as decreased nerve and muscle function, slowed sensation and
inhibition of normal relaxes, may put an athlete at increased risk
of additional injury. The purpose of this study was to determine the
effects of cryotherapy on subtalar and ankle joint kinematics of healthy
athletes performing a sidestep 45° cut. We hypothesized that greater
joint displacements and velocities would be seen after icing. Twenty
one subjects performed a 45° sidestep cut prior to and after limb
cooling. Retroreflective markers were placed on the subject's shank
and foot while 6 high-speed cameras were used to collect the kinematic
data. In this test-retest controlled laboratory study, a repeated
measures ANOVA was performed on the PRE and POST icing data for the
minimum and maximum joint displacements and velocities. No statistical
differences were noted between the PRE and POST icing conditions.
The results indicate that a 10-minute icing treatment did not have
an effect on either the movement patterns or angular velocities. Our
results do not support any change in practice of icing injured ankles
for ten minutes during halftime of athletic events.
KEY
WORDS: Biomechanics, movement, range of motion, running, musculoskeletal
system.
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