Cold therapy systems and methods

摘要

A cold therapy system including a cooling bath; a therapy pad in fluid communication with the cooling bath; a pump positioned and arranged to pump water from the cooling bath to the therapy pad and back to the cooling bath; and a control unit controlling the pump, the control unit programmed to operate the pump according to a cycle in which the pump is operated at less than maximum to cause the therapy pad temperature to be raised and to conserve a cooling resource within the cooling bath.

主权项

1. A cold therapy system comprising:
a cooling bath including a cavity therein configured to hold a cooling resource and liquid water; a therapy pad in fluid communication with the cavity of the cooling bath; a pump positioned and arranged to pump liquid water from the cavity of the cooling bath to the therapy pad and to pump liquid water from the therapy pad back to the cavity of the cooling bath; a heat exchanger external to liquid water held within the cavity of the cooling bath, wherein the heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the cavity of the cooling bath and the therapy pad and is positioned and arranged to exchange heat between liquid water flowing from the cavity of the cooling bath to the therapy pad and liquid water flowing from the therapy pad back to the cavity of the cooling bath; and a control unit configured to control the pump, the control unit programmed to operate the pump according to at least one of: (i) a flow-on/flow-off cycle during treatment or (ii) a high-flow/low-flow cycle during treatment, to adjust the therapy pad temperature and/or to conserve the cooling resource held within the cavity of the cooling bath.