Though this study is of ankle sprains, it could very well be aplicable to adductor strains:
Cryotherapy for acute ankle sprains: A randomised controlled study of
two different icing protocols
Chris M Bleakley 1, Suzanne M McDonough 1* and Domhnall C MacAuley 2
Br J Sports Med. Published Online First: 12 April 2006.
doi:10.1136/bjsm.2006.025932
Background: The use of cryotherapy in the management of acute soft
tissue injury is largely based on anecdotal evidence. Preliminary
evidence suggests that intermittent cryotherapy applications are most
effective at reducing tissue temperature to optimal therapeutic
levels, however its efficacy in treating injured human subjects is
not yet known.
Objective: To compare the efficacy of an intermittent cryotherapy
treatment protocol with a standard cryotherapy treatment protocol in
the management of acute ankle sprains.
Subjects: Sportsmen (n=44) and members of the general public (n=45)
with mild / moderate acute ankle sprains.
Methods: Subjects were randomly allocated, under strictly controlled
double blind conditions, to one of two treatment groups: standard ice
application (n=46), or intermittent ice application (n=43). The mode
of cryotherapy was standardised across groups and consisted of
melting iced water (0 degrees C) in a standardised pack. Function,
pain and swelling were recorded at baseline, one, two, three, four
and six weeks post injury.
Results: Subjects treated with an intermittent treatment protocol had
significantly less ankle pain on activity, than those using a
standard twenty-minute treatment protocol; one week (p<0.05) after
ankle injury, however there were no significant differences between
groups in terms of function, swelling, or pain at rest.
Conclusion: Intermittent applications may enhance the therapeutic
effect of ice in pain relief after acute soft tissue injury.
Key Words: ankle, cryotherapy, ice, soft tissue injuries, sprains and
strains