If you couldn’t tell from last week’s Friday Confessionals, the post you’re about to read is something I’m really excited about! It’s a combination of sports and medicine (♪ these area few of my favorite things ♪) and it feeds into my incessant need to try anything and everything COLD THERAPY. Oh yeah…. giveaway.
Let’s go.
Cryotherapy is the method of reducing pain or swelling with the use of ice or cold temperature. Cryo = involving or producing cold, especially “extreme” cold. From Greek kruos – ‘frost‘. For whatever reason, I think I must like this whole cold therapy concept, because I have tried just about EVERY product out there. This should come as a shock because in my book, the #2 worst feeling in the world (next to #1 – being lonely – haha!!) is being COLD!! Maybe cold therapy is different in that it serves a purpose, whereas standing on Hennepin Ave for an hour in -18° windchill to watch the Holidazzle does not.
Um… anyways. If you wander on over to the search bar on the right and type in the word “ice” you will see that I’ve experimented quite a bit. Actually, I think the search bar looks for “ice” in any part of a word, like nice or twice, so that’s an inaccurate representation. But for proof, there is definitely photo documentation from April 6th, 2008 of frozen corn ice packs. I’ve used frozen peas, a bag of frozen meatballs, frozen… water (ice cubes? really?), the dixie cup method, school lunch ice packs, and the mother of all, the ice bath.
Now, in my experimentation, I have faced two separate problems. 1) the source of kruos and its’ ability to remain cold, and 2) the method of transportation. Referring to the above image, you will see that I attempted the Hair Band method of affixation. While in a static, non-moving position, the Head Band works just fine. However, if you feel the need to move for any reason – run to answer the phone, get up to use the restroom, walking around the kitchen making dinner, etc. – your S.O.L.
Using a hair band or not, most icing is done while sitting down. Well that’s dandy – hopefully you’re elevating too like the doc’ told you. But sometimes the recommendation is to ice, oh, 5 times a day for example. Unless it’s your JOB to do recovery and ice on and off all day, chances are you need to be up and active, regardless of your little “inflammation”. I introduce to you…
ARCTIC EASE
While they don’t claim to give you back muscles like Mr. Lats over here… they provide a cold therapy wrap or pad that accomplishes BOTH of the two stated problems above. They STAY PUT and they STAY COLD! I was going to attempt to put all of my feelings for Arctic Ease into a concise and coherent paragraph, but my passion was just too strong. Thankfully, they did it for me!
Arctic Ease wraps and pads are an incredibly simple but effective alternative to traditional cold therapy. They absorb heat energy from the body to cool the covered area. The absorbed heat is then lost to evaporation, which allows for hours of targeted cold therapy. Arctic Ease is ready to use right out of the package — no refrigeration is necessary. And mobility isn’t limited since Arctic Ease conforms to the affected area without the need for clips or tape. Arctic Ease is reusable, odorless and environmentally friendly.
I wish I were exaggerating. Having a cold therapy fetish is not something I’d recommend you list on your resume. Or your match.com profile. But this stuff is GOOD! I wish I’d thought to take some action shots the several times I’ve used them, but whattya know I was out and about being active! No, not exactly resting or elevating, but icing AND compression in one! Score.
Best of all, you have a chance to try Arctic Ease. The cost? 15 seconds of your time to leave a comment with one of the following:
- What do you most frequently have to ice? I had to ice my groin/hip flexor after surgery. It wasn’t so much inconvenient as awkward. Definitely not something I’d try on the go with a leaking+melting bag of ice…
- Go to Arctic Ease’s website, and tell me something cool you learned! Other than what I’m contributing – The optimal temperature for effective cold therapy is above 59° F (15°C).*
- Tweet this giveaway OR mention it on your blog! You can just link it to http://drtrirunner.com since I think those ityURLs are tacky.
Make sure you include @SperlyTriRunner if you’re tweeting so I can see it! (You don’t have to follow me, but you’re more than welcome to if you want!)
If you want more than one chance to win, make sure you comment for each item individually! The giveaway is open until ONE WEEK from right now. (Tuesday November 2nd, 6:50 pm CENTRAL)
And there you have it compadres! After reading my buddy Jaime’s post today… I know where he definitely will not be icing with these! (Please note that this link contains PG13 material.) That kid nearly broke my face from laughing so hard!
I hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead, and if you live in Minnesota (or Chicago I hear?) you haven’t been BLOWN away!! 81 mph wind gusts says the Chicago AP. Psh…. adversity training.
-E
Oh me and my poor knees need this! I love your enthusiasm for the painful (yet needed) torture that is ice bathing!
Diana @ Diana Tries a Tri´s last [type] ..Not Your Average Adventure Virtual Race
My most common thing to ice is my knee. I’ve tried lots of different things too. I usually end up wrapping the bag of peas with an ace bandage so I can move around…ugh!
Aimee (I Tri To Be Me)´s last [type] ..Pumpkin fun
I think Arctic ease is a great concept! I was surprised at how many places you can buy them…yay for Walgreens!
Aimee (I Tri To Be Me)´s last [type] ..Pumpkin fun
I ice my ACL surgery knee occasionally if it is really acting up.
I have to ice my shins a couple times a day due to stress fractures and shin splints I had last year. Looks like this product would make that easier!
i’m sooooo bad with icing. as in i NEVER do it. well when i had shin splints i did. but as soon as i was feeling better i quit. oops.
Karyn´s last [type] ..The Post You All Have Been Waiting For
i linked
Karyn´s last [type] ..The Post You All Have Been Waiting For
and i learned that arctic ease’s cooling way (aka not with ice) means that you can leave it on for hours! and not worry about frostbite
Karyn´s last [type] ..The Post You All Have Been Waiting For
[...] Miss Zippy, Julie (HotLegsRunner), Sarah (SkinnyRunner), Shut Up and Run, Monica (RunEatRepeat), Erika (Dr Tri Runner) Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Baking CookiesCookie LoversFriendly Kitchen [...]
I most frequently ice my knees… mostly as preventative at this point, plus it helps me cool down in the summer!!
Shannon´s last [type] ..Recipe Impossible: Winter Squash
Very cool to learn that you can reuse them!! fantastic
Shannon´s last [type] ..Recipe Impossible: Winter Squash
oh geez, I’m always icing something different. I injure something new about once a year. I have pretty strong knees, surprising for a runner, so more often than not it is my hips that are whining. Most recently it was my obliques of all things…apparently I pulled an oblique. very strange. so I iced it.
I frequently ice my shins and feet, and sometimes my knees as well.
Lisa´s last [type] ..Remaining positive
honestly, i have never iced anything but art practically has an ice pack attached to some part of his body most evenings. and his birthday is coming up so it would be really great if i won this giveaway……
kate´s last [type] ..Rawish Relish and Cookies
Your new blog set up is pretty advanced! I sometimes ice my left knee, but fortunately not too often.
How come your Tried it Tuesday isn’t drinking wine and nuun? It’s pretty tasty… or so I’ve read…
Chelsea´s last [type] ..Blown away
Oh yeah, and holy cow it’s windy here, too!
Chelsea´s last [type] ..Blown away
sweet giveaway! I am always icing my piriformis and that means I have to lay on my stomach which kills my piriformis! haha such a pain. This is a great idea, why didn’t I think of this??
…Its windy as all heck in Omaha, Neb too! I think it’s a gym day…I don’t want to blow away!
I ice my shins the most.
twinnnzzzie!
I ice my knees…with Pea Bags, or rub ice dixie cups on them (depending on how inflammed they are) and I always face the annoyance of having to get up to do something!!!…haha!
I hope you’re having a great week and loving the email I sent you! hehe!
xoxo
Lizzy´s last [type] ..How far can you go26.2
I too had to ice my groin. I pulled it while training for a marathon, and kept running (well, trying to run) and then ended up barely able to walk. I learned my lesson!!
Great layout! tho i am an idiot took me a moment to figure out how to comment. def will try to make it up to SLP for a spin in November…I get locked into the cushy schedule I know close to home but good for me to mix it up.
the kids frozen lunch pack sticks work great:)
DRog´s last [type] ..5 …and get used to it
I ice my knees twice a day. I’ve suffered from bursitis/runner’s knee/whatever, and I like to think it’s preventative. Unfortunately, helloooo ice burn.
sarah´s last [type] ..Help
I ice my shoulders/upper back after hard swims! In college, this often involved saran wrapping ice bags to both shoulders and walking to the cafeteria looking like I was wearing football shoulder pads! At least now, I can swim on my own time and ice at home
Elaine´s last [type] ..Longest workout EVER
You asked about embedding video. Not sure how it’s done outside of my own domain, but the only way I could get it to work on Blogger was to go to YouTube, click on “Embed video” button, copy the code, go to my blog post, go to embed code (rather than type text) and then paste. It always ends up in the wrong place, so it has to be cut and pasted again with in the post.
[Repeat of what my next post will say: I'm going to be at the Monster Dash between Harriet and Calhoun, so I can see everyone twice and maybe get in a loop of a lake while in costume, if I feel like illegally pacing someone. I'll be dressed as a prisoner in an orange jumpsuit, though if it's cold enough, layering may make me look like Kenny on South Park.]
SteveQ´s last [type] ..Skinny Guy Rant
ummm. I guess what I was trying to say was you have to cut and paste under “edit html” or else you end up pasting just the text of the source code.
SteveQ´s last [type] ..Skinny Guy Rant
oh my gosh, did you survive the wind storm? Hope so! This artic ease looks awesome! We usually use ice packs with a knee wrap. I’m thinking this method might be better! haha.
lindsay´s last [type] ..Revealing the Inner Beast!
What do I most often ice? Everything from the waist down! I LOVE me some ice baths.
Jamie´s last [type] ..Blackberry Torch- Ideal Triathlete Phone
One thing I learned – it stays cold for 4-6 hours?! Holy cr#p! That is pretty awesome.
Oh, and thanks for the link.
Jamie´s last [type] ..Blackberry Torch- Ideal Triathlete Phone