Cold pack showdown: does adding compression beat ice alone for surgery pain?

This study is testing whether a cold therapy device that also applies gentle pressure (compression) works better than cold therapy alone to manage pain after common knee, shoulder, or hip surgeries. Researchers enrolled 348 military-affiliated adults to see if the combined approach reduces pain more effectively and might help lower the need for opioid painkillers during recovery. Participants are randomly assigned to use one of the two cold therapy methods after their procedure.