Topical cold gels can provide some immediate relief from pain, and reduce blood flow to the injured area. There is even some evidence that they can speed healing as opposed to doing nothing for your injury. However, they do not provide the degree of therapeutic benefits derived from compression wraps combined with cold therapy, such as I.C.E. DOWN ice wraps.

Cold Gel for Minor Injuries and Pain

Cold gel cools the area quickly, and can make you more comfortable. When used alone, it is only appropriate for minor injuries and pain. It is certainly better than using nothing at all. Cold gel has some advantages over oral pain medications including:

• Faster relief from the pain
• Avoids side effects of many drugs

Cold gel can have side effects such as skin irritation or allergic reaction.

Ice Wraps

There are two main advantages of compression wraps combined with cold therapy over cold gel.

Cold gel does not give you the benefits of compression. Compression controls the swelling after an injury and is important to faster healing.

Cold gel cannot provide adequate cooling to have the full benefits of cold therapy. Cold therapy works on the heat exchange principle. The heat is drawn out of the injured area. Your cold source must stay cold enough, long enough, to cool the deep tissues.

While cold gel provides some immediate relief, it cannot cool the area enough to slow local metabolism and stop the tissue damage, significantly reduce inflammation, stimulate the release of endorphins, and create the physiological pump that removes the fluids and toxins from the area.

I.C.E. DOWN ice wraps combine compression and cold therapy. They are designed to fit specific areas of the body so you get full coverage of your injury and even compression. They are convenient and easy to use, will not leak, and are durable so you do not have to worry about the gel pack splitting open.

The unique gel formula forms ice crystals, so it gets cold enough and stays cold long enough to cool the deep tissues. The gel remains flexible so it conforms to the shape of the injured area giving you full cold coverage.

To learn more about I.C.E. DOWN ice wraps, or to place and order, please visit our online store today.