When it comes to injuries and pain relief, there really is no better aid than heating and cooling agents. Both have their place and can rapidly influence things like inflammation, swelling, sensory nerve response and so forth.
But what heating and cooling agents are best to recommend to patients?
There are a number of options, each of them are designed for specific applications. So I've compiled a list of the best selling heating and cooling packs and therapy units, along with some of the benefits of each and the types of situations they are best suited to.
As a registered physiotherapist and clinic owner in Toronto, I treat a variety of patients (sports, wcb, mva, private) and believe in offering complete care at my own practice. Offering “complete care” includes recommending helpful advice and products that can boost your patient’s recovery.
Today I want to share my opinion on what I like/don’t like about CSC's top 10 best selling hot packs and cold therapy units, as well as which type of patients are most suited for these products so we can better help clinicians offer complete care for your practice.
1) Medibeads Moist Heating Pads
Best feature of these heating pads is the 'moist heat.' This type of heat has been well proven to penetrate deeper into the muscles, therefore it's a popular choice for recommendation.
Benefits of product:
- Microwaveable
- Great for shoulder, neck, or thigh
- Affordable
- Dust and odor free
- Type of Patient
This product is suitable for patients with muscle soreness, chronic pain, and arthritis.
If this option isn't a good fit, an alternative product is the Classic Thermophore Moist Heating Pad. This pad also uses a moist heat but instead of being microwaveable it can be plugged into the wall, which is great for longer periods of application.
The best feature of this pack is it's both hot and cold, so makes it very flexible with usage. Simply use the microwave to make it a heat pack, or put it in the freezer to make it an ice pack.
Benefits of product:
- Cheap
- Convenient and compact
- Multi use heat or cold
- Can be used in clinic, home, sports tournament, etc.
Because of the dual flexibility this pack is suited to great for patients in sports who may suffer a minor ankle sprain, or muscle tension. Can be used to decrease inflammation (cold) or increase blood flow (hot).
An alternative option is the Instant Cold Pack - an ice pack that provides fast, instant cold pain relief. However it does not have the dual feature.
3) Theratherm Digital Moist Heat Pad
A great feature of this digital hot pack is it's large size, giving the patient the ability to wrap the heat pad around the body to cover areas such as the back, or whole thigh. It's an electric heat pad, which makes it a great option for chronic pain conditions.
Benefits of product:
- Uses moist heat
- Heats up quickly
- Hand control allows programmable time and temperature
It's best suited to patients with back pain, arthritis, muscle tension, soreness, general aches and pains.
The alternative to this product is the Medibeads Moist Standard Heating Pad. It is smaller but can be more convenient for travelling to various places, or for use in the microwave as opposed to the power plug.
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This is also a hot/ cold dual featured product, one of the best features being it conforms to the body part requiring treatment.
Benefits of Product:
- Cheap
- Flexible and fluid
- Reusable
The alternative is the Rapid Relief Hot/Cold Pack.
5) Aircast Cyro Cuff
One of the great features about the Aircast Cyro Cuff unit is it applies pressure all the way around the joint--whether that be the knee or shoulder joint--to provide additional support and pain relief.
Benefits of product:
- Easy to apply to joint or affected areas
- Can be used as a heating or cooling agent
This cold therapy unit is great for post surgery patients, or for more severe knee and shoulder injuries.
An alternative to this product is the Shock Doctor Ice Heat Shoulder Wrap - it is a little less cumbersome so some patients to prefer it.
6) ThermoActive Hot & Cold Support
Knee Support / Shoulder Support
Similar to the product above, this hot/cold therapy unit applies compression to the injured joint - both the knee and shoulder.
Benefits of product:
- Hand pump allows control over compression
- Can be used for heating or cooling
- Easy to apply
- Washable
This hot / cold therapy unit is great for post surgery patients, or for more severe knee and shoulder injuries.
An alternative to this product is the Aircast Cyro Knee Cuff or Shoulder Cuff - but these are more expensive, so the Thermoactive is the more affordable option for some patients.
7) Elastogel Hot/Cold Pack Back Wrap
This product is made from a super soft fabric and has a gel like consistency that makes the pack conform to the body for comfort and the ability to go about everyday activities while still gaining the benefits of hot or cold therapy.
Benefits of product:
- Flexible gel material
- 4 way stretch fabric for comfort
- Provides hot/ cold therapy for up to 30 minutes
Suitable for patients with lower back pain, sciatica, swelling, muscle spasms and soreness.
8) Donjoy Iceman Classic Cold Therapy Set
A fantastic cold therapy unit for various pain relief situations, providing long lasting accurate and consistent cold relief.
Benefits of product:
- Inlet temperature control and monitoring
- Compatible with a variety of cold packs
- Provides cold therapy for up to 7 hours
Perfectly suited to patients in need of pain and swelling relief and to speed up rehabilitation - knees, shoulders, and arthritic pain relief.
9) Mueller Cold Gel Therapy Ankle Brace
The best feature of this ankle support is it covers a large area and has straps to hold it in place so the patient can still go about activities during the day while obtaining therapy for their ankle injury, swelling, or inflammation.
Benefits of product:
- Molds to ankle contours
- Removable gel chamber for cold therapy treatment
- Gel pad can be cooled in freezer or on ice
Perfectly suited to patients in need of pain and swelling relief for ankle injuries or post surgery.
The best alternative to this product is the Therma Moist Heating Pad, although this needs to be plugged in and doesn't allow for the same flexibility.
The Breg Kodiak provides long lasting cold therapy and exact set temperature for up to 6 hours.
Benefits of product:
- Can set exact temperature
- Straps allow for easy fit to body contours
Perfectly suited to patients with post surgery to decrease swelling and pain relief
The best alternative to this product is the Aircast Cuff, which is more portable and convenient for some patients.
Although there are a wide variety of heat packs and cold therapy options available, they are all designed to certain situations, activity levels and budgets. I hope this information will help guide your choices in providing complete care for faster patient recovery.
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