Airaksinen O.
Changes in posttraumatic ankle joint mobility, pain, and edema following
intermittent pneumatic compression therapy.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1989 Apr;70(4):341-4

Department of PM&R, Kuopio University Central Hospital, Finland.

The changes in posttraumatic ankle joint mobility, pain, and edema following
intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) therapy were examined in patients with
lower leg fractures after six to 12 weeks of immobilization in a cast. The study
group consisted of 22 patients with distal fractures of the lower leg. Each
patient was given IPC treatment on five consecutive days for 75 minutes daily.
The control group consisted of 12 patients with lower leg fractures who were not
given any treatment. Ankle joint mobility in the study group increased by 11.9
degrees (SE = 1.5), but by only 1.0 degree (SE = 0.8) in the control group. The
difference is highly significant (p less than 0.001). The study group also
experienced markedly greater pain relief than did the control patients. The
reduction of edema was 170 ml (SE = 23) in the study group and only 15 ml (SE =
12) in the control group (p less than 0.001). This study suggests that IPC
treatment promotes the rehabilitation of the posttraumatic conditions.