The Advantages Of Properly Designed Ice Bags
Most athletes, sportspeople and anyone who exercises to any extent knows the mantra for injury is rest, ice, compression and elevation. When you are injured it is relatively easy to do three out of the four, but one of the most important – ice - is not always available. This can be changed if sporting clubs and others made sure they kept ice bags in the freezer section of their refrigerators.
Most club houses would have a refrigerator to keep those cold drinks in, so it is quite easy to pop those special bags into the freezer ready to be used for the next injury. However, cubes of ice in a plastic bag are just not good enough. If a shoulder or the back is injured it is difficult to keep ice on it unless the injured party lies down and that is not exactly elevating the area.
It is far better to invest in the kind of bag that is made especially for treating injuries; one that is designed to be tied around the injured part whether that is an ankle, knee or shoulder. This will ensure that the ice stays in place even if the player has to move around or remain sitting rather than prone. It also is designed to protect from ice burn and it provides the necessary compression, so that bandaging the area straight away is not necessary.
While ice packs can be made from almost anything in an emergency, they do not always do the best job possible. Ice bricks are too big and straight so they often don’t get the coldness right onto the injured part – and besides, they are heavy enough to actually hurt those painful tendons and ligaments. Frozen peas are better, but are not likely to be found in the freezers of the local sporting clubs.
Cold packs can be made from a cloth dipped in iced water, but again, they don’t last and have the unfortunate habit of wetting clothing and dripping everywhere. It is far better to have a cold pack that is made especially for the job and does it well, without any annoying drips or additional discomfort from it.
In fact, every home should have one in their freezer so that they are prepared to deal with such an emergency whenever it should happen. Ice is good for more than just sprains and muscle strains. It is good for bee or other insect stings and for burns, both of which can easily happen in and around the home.
