Cold Therapy Injury Aid

One of the crucial steps you can take after a a muscle or joint injury is to apply cold therapy. Most experts say that cold therapy should be applied as quickly as possible after a soft tissue injury for 15-20 minutes per time and repeated at regular intervals for 48-72 hours.

Cooling the area after a muscle pull or strain relieves pain and reduces bleeding, swelling and muscle spasms. The cooling causes blood vessels in the injured area to constrict meaning less flow of blood as well as other fluids that cause swelling. Applying the appropriate cold therapy soon after a muscle sprain or strain also improves the recovery time.

There are several techniques cold therapy may be applied. The best method may vary based on the actual location and kind of injury.

Coldone Therapy Wraps:
Coldone cold therapy wraps are a neoprene wrap on the exterior with small pockets of freezable gel on the inner side. The Coldone wrap is stored in the freezer until needed so it's ready to be wrapped and fastened around the injured area. The really great thing about Coldone wraps is that they provide compression to maintain the cold in plus the swelling down. The inner lining of the wrap is linen which prevents cold shock and skin burn. This type of wrap can be purchased for specific body parts or in a universal configuration. The only real downside is that it needs to be frozen before you can use it.

Re-usable Cold Packs:
Re-usable cold packs are simple plastic pouches full of a gel that can be refrozen. Needless to say the pouch must be frozen before it can be used. You can't apply the frozen pouch right on the skin as it will cause ice burns. The pouch must be used inside a special wrap or cloth before applied. To make use of compression you need to use a wrap such as Fabrifoam wrap.

Instant Cold Packs:
Instant Cold Packs have a liquid and another inner pouch with chemicals. Once you squeeze the pack and burst the inner pouch the chemical reaction creates a cooling effect. The clear advantage of the instant cold packs is that they don't need to be be frozen in advance. The disadvantage is they can just be used once and also the cold effect might not last as long. They're a necessity for any athletic bag.

Ice Bags:
Cold bags are very simple and easy yet very effective. They are simply a material pouch using a water-proof lining. Ice cubes or crushed ice are then placed in the bag which can then be placed directly over the skin. These bags work well since they easily mold to the shape of the joint. Many of these bags come with a compression wrap. I keep one of these simple bags inside my athletic bag all of the time because most athletic facilities I'm at have ice available.

Cooling Gels and Sprays:
Gels such as Biofreeze or Cryoderm are applied directly to your skin to provide a cooling effect. These products also contain an analgesic to provide some pain relief. They come in gels, rollons or sprays. These products will work, even so the cooling effect is minimal when compared with ice packs and merely the superficial tissues are cooled. You can use them when Iyou would like to continue playing following the injury or to use on an existing injury just before I play tennis or golf.

Continuous Cooling Systems:
If you have had rotator cuff surgery or other joint surgery, it's likely that your doctor has suggested a continuous cooling device. They are simple in design but quite effective since the cooling remains constant. Ice water is continuously pumped from an ice and water cooler right into a compression wrap placed surrounding the injured joint. They normally are used for recovery after surgery but could be also very effective for deep muscle sprains.