A programmable cold therapy system is employed for pain relief and healing following injury or surgery. The system has a tank that maintains a reservoir of ice water. A pump is received within the tank and draws cold water from the reservoir to a cooling pad positioned over a region of the patient's or user's body requiring cold therapy. A control panel selectively interconnects a power source with the pump to control a period of time that the pump may be operative, and further controls periods of time during which the pump is actually operative. Within a first period of time, the pump is enabled, while it is actually actuated during repetitive second periods of time to operate at a selected duty cycle.

A protective covering for an immobilization device to be worn over a patient's lower extremity. The covering protects the immobilization device and underlying extremity from outside dirt, debris, and contagions, with the intention of achieving an overall improved healing rate. In various disclosed embodiments, this protective covering is either semi-permeable or impermeable to water, and includes any of a non-slip sole, pockets for holding ice packs with therapeutic effect, and a rechargeable battery.

A method in which a nerve associated with a spasticity in a limb of a patient may be identified. The cryogenic cooling needle may be inserted through a skin surface. The cryogenic cooling needle may be positioned to a target tissue such that the distal end of the cryogenic cooling needle is proximate to the nerve by bending the needle, wherein the needle has varying stiffness at a proximal portion and a distal portion. A treatment cycle may be delivered to a target tissue proximate to the nerve, the treatment cycle may comprise a cooling phase wherein cooling fluid flows into the lumen so that liquid from the cooling fluid flow vaporizes within the lumen to provide cooling to the nerve so as to treat spasticity.

A securing device is shown and describe for positioning on a user's head. The securing device may be used to couple or attach an insert to the user's head in a desired position.

An economical dual modality system can be manufactured and used in a method including the steps of assembling a system including a durable energy subsystem and a replaceable thermal subsystem, activating the replaceable thermal subsystem, attaching the system to a desired treatment area of a user's body, and activating the durable energy subsystem. The durable energy subsystem is arranged and configured to deliver energy, and the replaceable thermal subsystem is arranged and configured to be coupled to the durable energy subsystem arranged and configured to deliver thermal energy. The replaceable thermal subsystem delivers thermal energy to the desired treatment area at a predetermined temperature range for at least 30 minutes, and the durable energy subsystem delivers energy from the group consisting of non-visible light electromagnetic radiation, visible light radiation, electromagnetic field, microcurrent, electrical stimulation, iontophoresis, sonophoresis and combinations thereof independently of the thermal energy.

Embodiments include methods and systems for treating back pain associated with a nerve. A needle of a cryogenic system may be inserted beneath a skin surface. The needle may include an electrically conducting structure at least partially surrounded by an electrical insulator for conducting electrical energy. The needle may include an outer lumen and an inner lumen extending distally within the outer lumen, the inner lumen include a distal opening open to the outer lumen. The needle may be positioned at a desired location in proximity to the nerve, and a cooling therapy including cooling cycles and thawing periods may be performed to cool tissue at the desired location. The cooling therapy may sufficiently reduce the back pain.

Embodiments include a cryogenic device for alleviating pain by cryogenically treating a nerve, the cryogenic device including a handpiece; a needle coupled to a distal end of the handpiece, the needle including a needle lumen, the needle being configured for insertion into a skin of a patient along an insertion axis at a site laterally displaced from a treatment zone proximate to the nerve. The needle is configured to resiliently bend after insertion away from the insertion axis, such that at least a portion of the needle is adapted to traverse a skin layer laterally toward the treatment zone. The device includes a cooling fluid supply tube extending distally into the needle lumen; and a cooling fluid source, wherein the cooling fluid source is coupled to the cooling fluid supply tube to direct cooling fluid into the needle lumen.

Embodiments include methods and systems for treating joint pain associated with a nerve. A needle of a cryogenic system may be inserted beneath a skin surface. The needle may include an electrically conducting structure at least partially surrounded by an electrical insulator for conducting electrical energy. The needle may include an outer lumen and an inner lumen extending distally within the outer lumen, the inner lumen include a distal opening open to the outer lumen. The needle may be positioned at a desired location in proximity to the nerve, and a cooling therapy including cooling cycles and thawing periods may be performed to cool tissue at the desired location. The cooling therapy may sufficiently reduce the joint pain.

Methods of producing anesthesia or analgesia at an ocular tissue site are provided. Aspects of the methods include contacting the ocular tissue site with a cooling element having a temperature ranging from 0 to 30 C., such as 5 to 20 C. for an application time of 30 seconds or less so as to produce anesthesia or analgesia at the target tissue site. Also provided are devices that find use in practicing the methods.

The inventive concept refers to a system, a method, and a computer program for providing training for pain improvement. According to an exemplary embodiment, a training providing method for pain improvement includes requesting, by a computer, a temperature providing device to provide a first temperature to a first body point, requesting, by the computer, the temperature providing device to provide a second temperature to a second body point, requesting a user to select a temperature matched with a specific condition among the first temperature and the second temperature, and calculating a correct answer rate after performing a trial of distinguishing between the first temperature and the second temperature by a predetermined number.