Koo-Care Large Flexible Gel Ice Pack & Wrap with Straps for Hot Cold Therapy – Pain Relief for Shoulder Rotator Cuff, Back, Hip, Knee Replacement…

I bought this when I fractured a vertebrae after falling down some stairs. It’s a little unwieldy to put on by yourself, but once it’s on, it does the job.

I did not like the fact that it takes too long to heat the pad up for use!

I’m not trying to scare any one. This is true of any ice or heat pack. What bothers me is that this sellers does not clearly state the potential risks of serious skin injury. Also, they imply that the skin side of the cover protects the skin from injury – the cheap thin polyester/mesh (like what you would find giveaway shopping bags made of) will not protect your skin.

I was appalled by the pictures of one buyer who did not understand how to properly use this ice pack before he put it on his skin and drove to work. Cold can quickly numb skin nerves (hence the effectiveness for pain relief). If the nerves don’t feel cold or pain, they won’t feel frostbite as it begins to damage the skin.

When using this type of product, I find that 3-4 layers of thin T-Shirt material between the ice pack and may skin, provides good pain control without damaging my skin. Depending upon thickness, a terry towel can also work well – too thick and the cold (or hot) won’t reach the skin.

When first using this pack (hot or cold), check your skin regularly to be sure that your skin is OK. If you touch the skin under the pad and that skin cannot feel your touch, is painful, frostbitten, or blistered, remove the pad. Wait until the skin comes back to normal color and touch. If the skin is painful, has a frostbitten appearance or is blistered, use your best judgement as to whether to get medical advice. If there has been no skin damage, add a little more thickness for protection. Do not use on children or others who are unable to check their skin regularly during use. Also, be aware that as a person gets to elderly, their skin thins out making it more susceptible to skin damage.

I have been thru 5 joint replacements and know that ice of some sort or another is very important to reduce pain. This product is about the least expensive that I have seen – I’d give it 5 stars if it were not for their poor use instructions and the included cover that is so thin that there is no skin protection from extreme hot or cold temperatures. Perhaps they could use the same fabric on both sides of the cover. That would at least provide a little skin protection.

Features:
– Its a good size for many areas.
– It’s design makes it useful for assorted body parts.
– It includes a cover and attached elastic straps with velcro that allow it to stay on while you move about.(don’t expect that you’ll play basketball without it slipping off).
– Freezing takes 2-4 hours. It can be left in the freezer until it’s needed.
– The longer strap is quite long and as it is very stretchy – as a 135 lb woman, I could almost wrap it around my hips twice.
– They include a second short strap.

Cons
– Especially frozen, it won’t cover many areas as closely as some products that are shaped for specific areas.
– I have never heated a pack this big, but I have tried smaller packs and ruined them.
– Don’t overheat – my guess is that when people complain about gel leaks, they have heated it too much, too fast. Watch while it’s in the micro wave. If it starts to puff up, that’s the end of a stage. To continue heating without mushing it around will ruin it.
– Mircowaveing these type of packs can be fussy and the pack probably won’t last as long as if it were only used for heat. Although with the size of it, that warm can be really nice for an arthritic back.
– Instructions for microwaving are printed on the pack – follow them
– The listing implied that their cover alone is enough to keep skin safe – it is not.
– They have CE & FDA on the pad as if it has been approved by the FDA. At most, makers of these type of things register the device with the FDA – which only means that its in FDA files somewhere and not much (if anything) past that. I have doubts that even registering has been done – but I didn’t buy it because the FDA might have some knowledge of this product. To seller, use the space for skin damage caution instead.
– The stretch mesh with velco ends will not last forever. Velcro to stretch mesh attachment is relatively strong, but when velco is taken off the webbing, the velcro does weaken the webbing slightly. Overstretching around a large body will also wear out the stretchiness. Not really a problem over all, just realize practical issues around how long the cover and webbing will last.

If you need to ice a hip, leg, back or shoulder – it’s a good size. There’s even a couple of straps that can keep it in place. Very useful. This is a good value in my opinion.