Arctic Ease cryotherapy pads and wraps review

You can't get it in grocery stores. It's hard to come by at Bikesource, Cycle City or any other bike or multisport shop in Kansas City, but if you have internet access, you can get it!

ARCTIC EASE CRYOTHERAPY WRAPS

Web Site - http://www.arcticease.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/articease
Twitter - http://twitter.com/articease
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/articease
Blog - http://www.arcticease.com/blog

Products Sold

• Cryotherapy Pads – 4”x6” retail, 6”x5” EMS - $12.29 for pack of 3
• Cryotherapy Wraps – 4” x 60” retail - $8.79 for one
• Arctic Ease Clothing - $13 - $21

Mission

• It is Arctic Ease®’s goal to enhance the treatment of soft tissue injuries, burns and edema whether induced by pharmalogical therapies, radiation or injury by being a premier, comprehensive resource for Cryotherapy (cold therapy). Arctic Ease® will alter the first aid and sports medicine areas by:
• Offering products that are cold and provide clinical benefit without the need for pre-cooling or refrigeration.
• Offering products that are scientifically designed to draw the heat out of covered areas; that are designed to maintain effective cooling of the affected area over an extended period of time, without restricting patients’ mobility.
• Offering products that are non-toxic, latex-free, biodegradable, “green” and safe for the environment.
• Offering the institutional and self-care market the ability to treat of soft injuries and burns as painless, convenient and cost effective as possible impacting on the skyrocketing healthcare costs and the pressure to contain cost.

Vision

• Specially treated Arctic Ease® wraps and pads offer a simple alternative. They absorb heat energy which is then lost to evaporation, allowing for hours of cold therapy. They’re ready to use right out of the package, with no freezing or refrigeration. Reusable, odorless and environmentally friendly, they stay put without the need for clips or tape.

High Points

• Appealing packaging.
• It really did stick to your skin and stay in place. I could walk around and function normally without worry about the wrap or pad falling off.
• It worked. I tested it out on a chronic achilles problem I have and had no issues when using the wrap with pain or discomfort.
• Keeps the hot side hot, and the cool side cool. It does NOT create that freezer burn feeling you get from direct contact of ice pads or bags of ice wrapped in a towel.
• No mess. No wet towel. No leaky bag. No lumpy bag of frozen peas. No fumbling trying to place cold pack while wrapping with bandage and tacking in place. Peel, stick and move on.
• You don’t need a fridge for it to work. In the car after a race? No problem. Just make sure you re-hydrated it and slap it on what ails you after your race.
• Appealing website.

Low Points

• Limited variety of choices on sizing.
• Wish the pads were reusable.
• Resalable pad pouch was a little difficult to get the un-used pads back in to without having to fold them or make a mess with them.
• Pads and wraps are advertised as environmentally friendly but the packaging looks to not be as friendly.
• Have to be careful as product can stick to itself and be difficult to peel apart to apply correctly.
• Pulls hair off. It sticks… to skin AND hair. You need to be careful when peeling off or be up to date with body hair removal.

Items of Note

• I’m glad they added the note about NOT ingesting the product. I would have been in trouble. But in all reality they would not have added the note unless someone somewhere had tried it.

Overall

• Given the choice between frozen ice packs, frozen bags of vegetables, bags of ice and an ace wrap, I’d take Arctic Ease any time! It’s convenient, easy to use and functional for its intended use. It’s not fluff wrapped in a nice package. It works!

Writer's note: Arctic Ease provided 1 package of pads and 1 package of wraps free for this review. Arctic Ease has in no way provided any compensation for a "positive" review.