Posted on March 05 2017
Cold therapy comes in many forms. However, if an ice pack or ice wrap is easy and comfortable for someone to apply and wear then they will actually follow through with the treatment. Speaking from direct experience, wrapping a big square ice pack around a patient's shoulder with an elastic bandage or plastic wrap, as opposed to having an all inclusive ice solution such as the ActiveWrap cold wraps for shoulders is no comparison. The big square pack struggles to conform to the shoulder often leaving the individual to hold on to it which is not ideal.
The other method you see quite often in baseball is plastic wrapping a bag of crushed ice to the shoulder. In this method, obviously you only get one treatment before you have to re-apply, re-wrap, and re-freeze which is a hassle. Secondly, you need a good amount of crushed ice ready and available along with plastic bags and wrap. This method works but downsides include: cold only (no heat), leaking bags, 2 person application and wasting a ton of time in the process. Clearly, a reusable cold wrap is the better choice.
The ActiveWrap shoulder ice pack can be self-applied where other methods often require another person/trainer to wrap the ice in place. We even sell replacement large reusable gel packs for round-the-clock treatment. In addition, shoulder range of motion and mobility are never compromised with our reusable cold compress. We are big fans of the wrap system simply cause it is more comfortable and easy to use over and over again for years to come. If you are looking for a reusable cold compress to drive cold deep into the thick muscular areas of the shoulder, then ActiveWrap cold wraps for shoulders is worth checking out.