Studies have revealed the indirect effect of using cold therapy for pain reduction in cases edema, muscle spasm and inflammation of nerves decreases the pressure, especially with patients with chest tube insertion. For such patients sufficient control of pain is very important for mobilization and effective performance of the respiratory system. Cold Therapy before any kind of deep breathing and coughing exercises for patients with chest tubes have shown effective results.
Research conducted on patients with chest tubes showed that demographic variation of age, sex, marital status, medical history, smoking and alcohol consumption habits, and education did not have any significant difference on the pain relief measurement before and after practicing these exercises. However, the big issue remains that the patients who participated in the study did not realize the efficacy of pain relief by practicing the breathing exercises mostly due to being unaware of their breathing except for times when they face difficulty or pain. A study published in the journal of Heart and Lung shows the effectiveness of cold therapy on patients with chest tube insertion.
