BACKGROUND: Cryotherapy belongs to the standard procedures in many hospitals and practices, although its effectiveness is not clearly documented. OBJECTIVE: The literature review was supposed to prove the evidence of cryotherapy and to deliver suggestions for reasonable indication in the management of musculoskeletal disorders. METHOD: The literature research was performed in the databases Medline, Cochrane und PEDro. 14 clinical trials and 4 reviews dealing with diseases and lesions of the musculoskeletal system were assessed in view of its methods in order to answer the posed question. RESULTS: In the case of muscular injuries reduction of pain and improvement of function could be proved. In osteoarthritis of the knee the resorption as well as the reduction of blood loss after cruciate ligament reconstruction were validated. CONCLUSIONS: Cryotherapy is not proved to be effective in the field were it is most frequently used. Above all, the lack of evidence for pain reduction is surprising. Postoperative oedema cannot be influenced. As it may disturb tissue repair and cause nerval damage it should only be used for temporary treatment of acute soft tissue lesions.

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