Abstract
This study examined skin temperatures after 10-minute icing on the lateral aspect of the ankle joint, particularly over the anterior talofibular (ATF) and calcaneofibular (CF) ligaments, and compared the cooling efficacies of crushed ice, 0°C cold water, and ice cubes as the filling in ice packs, using thermal video imaging. There were 10 feet in each treament group. The ATF temperaturs were 21.3 ± 3.9°C for crushed ice, 13.0 ± 1.1°C for 0°C water, and 21.0 ± 4.4°C for ice cube groups, and the CF temperatures were, respectively, 20.4 ± 6.1°C, 13.9 ± 1.7 °C, and 20.4 ± 3.2°C. The mean numbers of "cooled islands" (cooled areas ≤ 13.8 °C looking like islands on thermography) were 1.9 for crushed ice, 1.4 for 0°C water, and 2.9 for ice cube groups. These results indicate that ice packs containing 0 °C water are most effective for cooling the skin over the ATF and CF ligaments.
