Injury Treatment - Therapy Wrap

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From Mat Luebbers, former About.com Guide

Wraps are available in a variety of sizes and styles

ColdOne

The Bottom Line

Most injuries require the RICE treatment - rest, ice, compression, and elevation. The ColdOne refreezable compression wrap system, with its built-in ice blanket might be just what swimmers need to treat swimmer's shoulder, breaststroker's knee, or a multitude of other swimming injuries. It'll work for other injuries, too. It passed my tests with a gold medal performance. I plan to keep a few at my swimming pool.

Manufacturer's Site

Pros

Simple - cold and compression in one
Clean - no water, paper cups, or drips
Easy - put it on and injury treatment is underway

Cons

Size - some of the wrap systems are size specific
Time - must be frozen for two to three hours before use
Cost - more expensive than a piece of ice - but it is much more than that

Description

Easy to use. Out of the freezer, wrap it on for 20-minutes, off and back into the freezer
No muss, no fuss. Non-toxic ice blanket doesn't drip or sweat. Velcro fasteners means no lost clips
Many styles. Shoulders, backs, elbows, forearms, wrists, knees, ankles, and a universal style
Sturdy. Neoprene construction is washable by hand or in a dishwasher
Reusable but costly. More expensive than the traditional frozen cup of water

Guide Review - Injury Treatment - Therapy Wrap

ColdOnes comes in a variety of sizes and styles. I tested the ColdOne Right Shoulder Medium Therapy Wrap.

First, my only complaint - the size was almost too big. It worked, but I was at the small limit of the system. Based on the on-line fitting guide, it should have been the correct size, but I'm guessing the sizes (based on weight) were not designed with skinny folks in mind. It is more expensive than the traditional ice in a cup treatment, but I feel like the ColdOne gives you a good value for the investment, so cost is not a negative in this case.

Other than the size issue (which could be avoided by using the universal style wrap, but it's not as specific as the other "body part" models) the ColdOne Wrap worked better than advertised. It chilled everything from mid-arm, across my shoulder, and part-way down my chest and back. It seemed like every area that could require cold and compression treatment for swimmer's shoulder was covered by the wrap.

It also stayed in place while I went shopping (under a jacket). This included in and out of a car, up and down stairs, reaching for items, etc.

The other ColdOne styles shold work just as well for their intended body locales. For the widest possible application, I would suggest starting with the Universal style, then move on to more specific styles if needed.

The ColdOne System works.