The best ice pack for knee can be manna sent from heaven after knee replacement surgery. No matter if you have pain from running on hard surfaces or if you had a surgery and you need to make the pain go away, ice packs for knees can reduce discomfort significantly. Let’s look at which are the best gel ice packs for knee.
Even professional athletes dislike icing because it can feel uncomfortable. However using the best cold pack for your knee at the right time can cut your recovery time in half. The discomfort in the short term you experience with the best ice packs for knee surgery is a small price to pay for the long term recovery benefits.
The best ice packs for knees should fit perfectly to your leg, wrapping around your limb smoothly. They must offer therapeutic relief from the pain and swelling. The best ice packs for knee pain target both the front and the back of the knee. They achieve this with built-in compression straps putting pressure on both sides of the knee.
Best gel ice pack for knee: Knee Ice Pack by the Coldest
This flexible ice pack conforms to the shape of your knee for maximum effect of cold therapy. The excellent ice pack speeds up recovery from soreness, injuries and sprains. With the signature Coldest Webbing technology a superior transfer of coldness to the knee is achieved.
There are several moments when ice therapy can help. Doctors often recommend it for faster recovery in the first 48 hours after a surgery. However it also helps with arthritis and osteoarthritis. Ice packs work by slowing down blood flow to a restricted area.
Vive Knee Ice Pack Wrap
Made of Arctic Flex and a soft neoprene blend, the cold knee provides customizable compression for support. With multiple removable ice gel packs, you can customize it to really help the most at the target area. It can target both the from and the back of the knee. If you remove all three Arctic Flex gel packs. You can even use it for hot therapy as a knee sleeve.
- Targets both the front and the back of the knee for soothing knee pain relief, and effectively reducing inflammation.
- Three removable ice gel packs. Two in the front, one in the back.
- Strong fastener system with four adjustable straps.
- Machine washable, breathable and lightweight neoprene blend. Latex-free, soft and breathable for exceptional comfort.
Mr Ice Gel Ice Pack Wrap
A very large ice pack that covers your whole knee. It has the most simplistic design, basically a large ice pack with two wraps to keep it in place. The straps can be extended so you can adjust the size and make the ice pack fit your joints perfectly. This makes it very versatile. You can use it on your elbows, shoulder, upper or lower back, your wrist or your head.
Using an Ice Pack for Your Knee The Right Way
First, ice packs should be applied int he first 48 hours after a surgery to reduce pain and swelling. It is best to put the ice pack on your knee for 20 minutes before taking it off and letting your knee rest. Let it get to normal temperature again. Meanwhile you can put back the ice pack to the freezer. After at least 30 minutes of rest you can reapply the ice pack.
Making the Most of Your Gel Ice Pack for Knee
No matter if you suffer from knee pain after overtraining or you are recovering from an arthritis surgery, the best gel ice pack for knee can be a life saver. Here are some tips for making the most of a knee ice pack.
Hot or Cold?
This is a common issue. Some people swear by cold therapy, others claim that keeping the joint warm after a surgery is the fastest way to recovery. The right therapy matters on the type of injury you had. If your knee is sore or swollen, it is best to use cold therapy to numb the injury and restrict blood flow to the area. Warm therapy relaxes stiff knees. This is why runners wear running knee braces, hikers wear knee braces for hiking during their activity. Cold therapy is best for alleviating the pains of surgery, arthritis, tendonitis, sprains and after surgery recovery.
Using gel knee braces is common for between workout recovery. Your muscles can recover faster from delayed onset muscle soreness.
As a rule of thumb we can say that cold therapy is best after the damage has been done, or between activities. Keeping the joints or muscles warm is the best during workouts.
Since you will be very likely restricted and kept from moving after a surgery or during sever cases of arthritis, you are more likely to use cold therapy. With time, when you enter the active phase of recovery, warm therapy can enter the fold and you can even use the two interchangeably.
Using Cold and Hot Therapy Together
When is the best time to use cold and hot therapy together? As we established is the last paragraph, this happens during the active phase of recovery. Most often doctors recommend it for alleviating muscle pain and discomfort from an osteoarthritic knee.
Applying a knee brace or a compression sleeve during workouts keeps the joints warm, adds extra structure to the joint in order to achieve more ergonomic movement patterns. Between workouts an ice pack helps alleviate muscle pain and improves between workout recovery.
Wearing a knee brace in the morning warms up the stiff knee after sleep to get ready for the daily races. In the evening cold therapy reduces swelling and gets rid of excess fluids.
How to Ice Your Knee the Right Way
Applying a cold pack for your knees is simple. You can even apply a bag of frozen peas or a ziplock bag full of ice cubes to the swollen area. However if you are not using a ready made ice pack, make sure you put a towel between your skin and the ice cubes. This prevents burning skin damage.
This is one of the reasons I always recommend purchasing a professional gel ice pack for your knee. Not to mention the transfer of the cold will be better. The gel pack will connect with the knee perfectly, cooling it down evenly from all sides.
A good idea during icing is to elevate your leg using pillows. Elevation helps the excess fluids exit the knee joint. Also it refreshes the blood flow, a notoriously difficult thing if you are lying down.
How long should you use a gel ice pack for knee?
It is common to be confused about how long you should use the best ice bags for your knee. In most cases severe swelling occurs in the first 2-4 weeks after the surgery. This is the time when an ice pack for knee replacement surgery is most helpful.
If you experience knee pain from overuse, the best is to reduce training load and apply a gel ice pack to your knee 3-4 times a day until the pain goes away. Icing 3-4 times a day for a few weeks is not hard. Of course you have to take out the time, but you can easily do it watching your favorite shows on Netflix.
Conclusion: The Best Gel Knee Ice Pack
If you are looking for the best gel ice pack for knee to speed up recovery and alleviate muscle pain, the Coldest Knee Ice Pack is a great investment. The design is the best I have seen. It molds to your knee. You almost don’t even feel it is there. The custom webbing technology allows for improved transfer of the cold to the knee. It is super flexible, you will feel great during your fast recovery from arthritis, swelling, soreness and knee pain.
