Symptoms Associated With Chronic Venous Disease in Response to a Cooling Treatment Compared to Placebo: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Teresa J Kelechi, Mary J Dooley, Martina Mueller and 2 others
PMID 29846278WHAT IT FOUND
Cooling cuffs eased throbbing and pain in chronic venous disease.
Half of cooling users saw throbbing improve versus 30% of placebo users. Both groups improved pain similarly, but fewer cooling users reported worsening. This self-care addition may help manage bothersome leg symptoms.
Key findings
01Throbbing improved in 50% of the cooling group versus just over 30% of the control group, with 21% versus 8% reporting substantial improvement.
02For pain, 36% of the cooling group reported no change compared to 25% in the control group, though both groups experienced approximately 60% improvement.
03Fewer individuals in the cooling group reported worsening of aching symptoms (35% no change) compared to the control group (29% no change).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not use inferential statistical tests to determine significance, relying instead on percentage changes and anchor-based clinical meaningfulness. Participants had advanced disease (CEAP stage 4 or 5), so results may not apply to those with earlier stages of chronic venous disease. The primary outcome of the larger trial (skin circulation, ulcer incidence, quality of life) is not reported here; this paper focuses only on secondary symptom outcomes. Blinding of participants to the specific sensation of cooling versus placebo may have been difficult, potentially influencing self-reported symptom changes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as proof that cooling is superior to placebo for pain. Both groups reported approximately 60% improvement in pain, and the difference in no-change reports may reflect natural disease fluctuation or the effects of concurrent compression therapy, which both groups received.