Cryotherapy is used in individuals in the postoperative period (PO) of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair, owing to its effects such as increased pain threshold, decreased cellular activity, and vasoconstriction. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of cryotherapy on pain intensity in the immediate PO of ACL reconstruction. A scoping review was performed in the databases: Cochrane, Embase, Lilacs, LIVIVO, PEDro, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science; and gray literature: Google Scholar, CAPES Thesis Database, and Open Grey. PRISMA recommendation was followed. Two blinded reviewers performed the selection of studies: Phase 1-reading of titles and abstracts and Phase 2-Reading of the full texts and disagreements resolved in consensus. The references of 701 studies were identified, 603 from the main databases and 98 from the gray literature. After removal of duplicates, 387 studies were left for Phase 1-reading of titles and abstracts according to eligibility criteria and for Phase 2-28 studies for reading of full texts. Two studies were excluded: one randomized clinical trial and another sandwich study. Finally, 15 studies were included in this review. Cryotherapy is effective in reducing pain intensity because there were reductions in the scores of subjective pain scales in the immediate PO of ACL reconstruction. Cryocompression was shown to be superior to conventional cryotherapy.
Keywords: cold therapy; knee joint; pain measurement; physical therapy modalities.