Why Buy a Cold Therapy Device Instead of a Simple Ice Pack?
For centuries, people have been using ice packs to treat soft tissue injuries. But this treatment method is rapidly being overtaken by new and sophisticated technologies such as cold therapy devices. These devices have proved to be quite effective in circulating cold temperatures around the targeted body parts for quick recovery.
Whether you are recovering from surgery, workout, or muscle trauma, a cold therapy system will help you ease the pain and reduce inflammation. Although the traditional ice pack still offers the intended results, it has proved to be less effective and slower than the modern cold therapy machine. This article tells the main reasons you should buy a cold therapy device instead of a simple ice pack for your healing and rehabilitation.
Easy to Use
Unlike an ice pack, a good cold therapy machine comes with a compression component to help you maintain the proper pressure on the injured area without straining your hands. With an ice pack, you have to hold the pack with one hand and compress the injured part with the other, which is tedious and impractical.
Furthermore, an excellent cold therapy device should have one or two knee pads with a closed patella for superior coverage. This pad helps compress the wound while allowing you to rest or do other things with your hands. The more advanced cold therapy devices come with adjustable flow controls and different compression levels to meet your therapy needs.
More Effective and Convenient
With the adjustable flow control and compression levels, a cold therapy machine ensures that the injured area receives the right amount of compression and cold temperature. Moreover, the device also comes with an adjustable run time to enable you to get a complete custom therapy that meets your specific needs.
Compared to an ice pack, a cold therapy device is more effective because you do not need to hold it in place for minutes. You just fix it and leave it to run. This spares you the hassle of holding an ice pack with your hands for over 15 minutes. A good cold therapy machine should come with a hand-held controller to allow you to control its operations conveniently.
Safer and More Reliable
Studies have shown that cold therapy devices are safer and more reliable than ice packs. They have also proved to be more effective at reducing skin surface temperature than ice bags because they give you the freedom to choose your preferred temperature levels. So, they are less likely to cause frostbites and other related complications.