Think Twice Before You Ice

Q: Why does it not feel cold enough or as cold as some of the conventional cold packs? For the shoulder wrap most patients leave on their shirt in clinic and feel it just is not cold enough. Should it feel as cold as regular ice/cold packs? Why or why not?

A: For several reasons it will not and SHOULD NOT feel as cold as a conventional ice pack, which is a good thing. Thermal sensation is all rate of cooling; we don’t have nerves that sense temperature only rate of flow of heat in or out. The rate determines how intense cold or hot “feels”, and by going gradually it will feel much less cold but still achieve a plateau tissue temperature of about 2-4 C above freezing (optimal cooling to prevent swelling and inflammation without all the bad things tissue freezing does). The intensity of cold people are used to with a conventional cold pack is a warning from our body that we are getting burned, and not something to aim for. Ideally, after a few minutes, it will feel comfortable with a background sense of being cold, and after 10-20 minutes tissue cooling will reach an optimal level of cooling without freezing. The body part will be most notably cold to touch after removing the wrap.

In order to have a calibrated conduction product we can’t accommodate all different clothing materials and thicknesses, so we strongly recommend it be used with direct-to-skin use for optimal results. For the shoulder, if someone can’t wear a tank top or a very thin shirt, then it won’t work. We can’t have it be calibrated and also cold enough to work on top of a sweatshirt, so we decided on the former and hopefully patients can wear a tank top or equivalent for shoulder work. I think that issue will be unique only to the shoulder for women in a PT office not given instructions on what to wear for shoulder PT work; it hasn’t been an issue from customer in home use.

Q: The product does not cover all of the area that is hurting- do you have anything about the effectiveness based on coverage of the wrap?

A: The pack is designed to cool down to the deeper tissues, tendons and ligaments gradually over about 20-30 minutes with regular use, irrespective of whether it’s placed on the front or side of the knee (for example). It will cool down the entire limb over the prescribed time, even if it doesn’t cover the entire area at first. We don’t think it’s necessary to wrap around 360 degrees (which is of course widely variable to achieve based on different people’s body sizes) so we aimed rather for a more physiological, safer idea of slow penetration to the deeper tissues to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation while preventing freezing injury. I guess if you have pain in an area larger than 11 x 11 inches then we don’t cover that scenario.

Q: Surgical patients feel the product is too hard and uncomfortable – would this be something you would suggest to a surgical patient? I know we spoke about the weekend warrior. Thoughts?

A:This is usually freezer dependent and some powerful freezers can bring the gel to a fairly stiff state at first. We recommend leaving the gel out for about 1-2 minutes before use, which will allow the gel to soften considerably and become more slush like. Once inserted into the pocket it can also be pre bent and molded to fit before application on a patient. Bottom line, it softens up pretty early in the thaw phase and if you give it a minute or two before placing it on a patient it will make a big difference in softness. Once on this softening will continue, so we recommend massaging the pack now and then to get a real custom fit and to increase comfort. The knee wrap is hugely popular with total knee replacement and arthroscopic surgery patients and we get excellent feedback in those cases (many of them buy extra gel packs ad wear in throughout the day to control pain). When we get this questions we encourage them to allow the gel to thaw out a bit before use and we’ve had good feedback after they start doing that.

Q: What makes übertherm cold compression products so unique?

A: übertherm cold products are precisely thermally regulated to create perfect, safe, steady cold compression. There is a Goldilocks zone between too cold and too warm that other ice packs don’t even attempt to address; most are dangerously cold at first – risking tissue ice injury and cellular inflammation – and then warm up rapidly. All übertherm cold products have a calibrated, multi-layer, thermal Ice Pillow™ that has a combination of conducting and insulating layers to precisely regulate the rate of cooling and target the Goldilocks cold zone. The übertherm soft cold gel is engineered for steady cold and ultra-long life.

Q: What is the ideal temperature for cold compression?

A: As übertherm’s physician founder will tell you, that’s not a simple question and the impetus behind the company’s years of research spent solving the problem. There are a lot of layers between the skin and the muscles/joints, and what’s right for the muscles is far too cold for the skin and vice versa. The key is that temperature equilibrates over time, but ice packs don’t take the time to allow for it – they are bitterly cold to the skin (often causing ice burn or even frostbite) and tend to freeze the outer layers while inadequately cooling the deeper tissues. The solution is to reduce the “thermal rate of conduction” so that cold spreads evenly and deeply over time. The übertherm Ice Pillow™ technology slows the process down to the ideal rate so that muscles and skin are cooled evenly and the risk of dangerous ice injury is addressed. A great side effect of this is that with a slower conduction rate it no longer has to hurt to deeply cool your muscles and joints.

Q: Is the cold gel pack included with the wrap?

A: Yes, the cooling gel pack is included with the product.

Q: What is the übertherm wrap made of?

A: The übertherm cold compression wrap is made out of highest quality, latex-free, neoprene and premium grade UBL Velcro loops and a thin, breathable vinyl liner. The Velcro pads are recessed for comfort. The wrap is very sturdy and yet easily moldable to any body size and shape, and sometimes worn as a stand-alone brace to stabilize a painful joint. Inside the wrap is a super soft multi-layer thermal Ice Pillow™ that regulates the rate of cooling to prevent ice burn.

Q: Is the cooling gel non-toxic and safe?

A: Yes, the ingredients of the cooling gel are all nontoxic. However, please note that the cooling gel pack is for use only in an übertherm cold compression product and should never be applied directly to skin.

Q: Who should use this product?

A: The übertherm cold wraps are designed for anyone experiencing pain and/or swelling after exercise or due to a wide variety of inflammatory medical conditions. The wraps are especially useful following orthopedic surgical procedures like knee replacement or arthroscopy.

Cold is effective at reducing inflammation and pain, and acts in a protective role after exercise. Cold slows down biological processes and so inhibits the inflammatory mediators related to common conditions such as tendinitis, arthritis, tennis and golfer’s elbow, runner’s knee, bursitis, and others. Cold is very helpful following orthopedic procedures, acute injuries, and knee replacement surgery. The trick is not to freeze your skin and deeper tissues, which damages your cells. Excessive cold can even lead to cell death, most notably frostbite. Cold is also effective at slowing the conduction of small fiber pain nerves, thus providing a direct reduction in pain sensation unrelated to inflammation reduction.

Q: How large is the cooling pack coverage?

A: The cooling gel pack is 26 by 26 cm (10 by 10 inches) square and provides a very large area of coverage. It is formulated to remain semi-flexible right out of the freezer and can be molded to fit around your body; just massage after positioning. The pack slides easily in and out of the thermal regulating Ice Pillow™.

Q: How adjustable is the cold compression wrap?

A: The entire outer surface of the wrap is a layer of premium UBL loops for Velcro attachment, so it is infinitely adjustable. Even the arms are covered in UBL loops, so it can be wrapped around twice and still connect just right. It is sized to fit men and women of all sizes. The Velcro pads are recessed and hemmed for maximal comfort. Extension straps are available for persons requiring additional length.

Q: Can I buy just the cooling gel pack?

A: Yes. Extra cooling gel packs are available to purchase for additional freezer storage, but are for use only in an übertherm cold compression product and should never be applied directly to skin.