A couple of months ago I was sent some Arctic Ease to try out. And I looked at it, but wasn’t quite sure how best to evaluate it when I didn’t feel that I needed the product at that moment. So I kind of sat on it and pondered it… until this weekend when I had my sudden spat of knee pain and I realized that “TA DA!!! Now I can test things that were meant for situations like that for my site!”

Arctic Ease wraps are reusable wraps that require no refrigeration and stay in place on their own. Suitable for minor aches, sprains, repetitive motion injuries, arthritis, bruises and muscle cramps, they are safe for any body part.

Benefits:

• Provides instant cooling relief for up to 3 hours
• Uses dual action cold and compression therapy to treat aches and pains sustained by active adults and athletes
• Enables active recovery; unlike ice, the Arctic Ease Wrap conforms to the body and does not inhibit movement
• In a recent clinical study Arctic Ease® was shown to be as effective as ice therapy in reducing pain, swelling and improving mobility, and because it was more comfortable and convenient, patients kept it on longer.

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How It Works:

• Arctic Ease® wraps are a two-in-one solution, offering cryotherapy and compression. The fabric’s elasticity creates therapeutic compression. Simultaneously, the gel coating absorbs and evaporates heat energy from the body, providing hours of targeted cold therapy.

I did check out the smaller wrap just before Christmas to see what it feels like, it’s got this weird gel like substances on it which I worried would be messy all over the place, but it’s really not. It can flake off a tiny bit, but nothing that really concerned me.

But with legitimate pain, I was able to wrap it around my knee this weekend and put it to a real test. I know there is some research saying that cold therapy isn’t as effective as once touted, but I still think it has its place. Arctic Ease combines the cold therapy with compression in one easy treatment… and it also has the added benefit of allowing me to still be somewhat mobile. I’ve tried sitting on the couch with an ice pack on my knee and you know what happens these days? My daughter comes over, picks it up off my leg, tosses it aside and asks me to come help her with something.  At least this way I can still play the role of “Mom” and get some soothing comfort for a trouble spot.

I found it kind of immobilized the joint some, making it hard to walk up and down the steps. Thus it would be impossible to run in it… although I don’t know why you would want to run with an “ice pack” on your knee anyway. It’s a recovery mechanism and it’s fine to slow down some for recovery!

The fabric is a blend of cotton and lycra, Arctic Ease wraps are odor free, and contain NO latex, fragrance, sulfates, petrolatum, mineral oil or menthol. You can reuse a wrap up to 5 times, just add a tiny bit of water to the container and shake it around to reactivate the cooling gel. They come in two sizes: 4” x 60” Full Size that sells for $14.99 and the 2.75” x 36” Small Size, at $9.99. That is kind of expensive for icing when you can buy a reusable ice pack for the same or less (or a bag of frozen peas for even cheaper) but those also limit your mobility a lot more. I don’t think that these would be the forever alternative to more traditional ice packs, but they sure add a lot of convenience. Not requiring a refrigerator or freezer is a big benefit, especially if you’re traveling to an event and know you might need something like this. Post marathon – perhaps wrap the legs up for recovery? I might do this!

Available in Red, Blue, Black and Pink and can be purchased at CVS, Vitamin Shoppe and online at ArcticEaseWrap.com, Arctic Ease seems like a pretty decent tool to have in your recovery arsenal!