This treatment works by constricting blood vessels and blocking nerve impulses. This can be done with ice packs, ice massage, cold showers, or cold plunge (ice baths). This is especially helpful when you have hot, swollen joints (note: when using ice pack do not put it directly against your skin. Put a thin towel or cloth between you and the ice pack).
20 minutes of ice massage, 5 days per week, for 3 weeks, has demonstrated clinically important benefits for osteoarthritis on increasing quadriceps strength (29% relative difference). There was also a statistically significant improvement, in improving knee flexion, range of motion, (8% relative difference) and functional status (11% relative difference). Another trial showed that cold treatment also decreased knee edema.