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Recurring acute injuries are not only painful and disruptive, they can also be damaging if left untreated. Treatment recommendations vary depending on each individual case, but often include a combination of the following approaches.

1. Wrist Wraps 

A wrap or splint that immobilizes the wrist may be recommended for daytime and/or nighttime use to help relieve uncomfortable symptoms such as numbness or tingling. Wrist wraps are available in a variety of materials that provide a range of support from total immobilization to relative flexibility. Some people also choose to wear these types of wraps as a preventive measure to limit motions that may contribute to future injuries.

2. Bandages with Ice Packs

Cold therapy has long been used to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Soft elastic bandages are often used to keep an ice pack in place while also providing compression. Although this method has been used for decades, it is not an ideal solution because: 

• It is not possible to regulate the temperature of the ice pack
• Putting a cold source directly on skin comes with the risk of tissue damage and bandages are difficult to apply on upper extremities without assistance

Even with the help of a healthcare professional, it can be difficult to find a comfortable hand position when wrapping an ice pack around your hand and wrist.

3. Physical Therapy

In some cases, physical therapy is recommended to help reduce the symptoms of recurring acute injuries and possibly prevent future injuries. A typical physical therapy program might include:

• Education about your injury and its causes
• Recommendations for activities to avoid
• Instructions for proper posture or body positions for certain tasks
• Exercises to strengthen the muscles in your wrist and hand
• Exercises to increase flexibility in your wrist and hand
• Heat and/or cold treatments to help control pain
• A wrist wrap or splint to help reduce discomfort

Every program will vary, but the objective is always to reduce or eliminate symptoms and create good habits that will help prevent future injury.

4. Cold Compression Therapy

Many physicians and physical therapists recommend heat and/or cold therapy to help reduce pain and swelling in hands and wrists. Active cold and compression is the most effective way to administer cryotherapy safely. Unlike a bandage and ice pack, active cold and compression therapy allows you to: 

• Control the temperature of therapeutic cold
• Provide consistent cold for the duration of the therapy session
• Keep the hand and wrist in a natural, comfortable position
• Benefit from consistent compression that actively removes excess fluid and promotes blood flow
• Benefit from deeper, longer-lasting cooling 

Regulating therapeutic cold is especially important for treatment of hands and wrists because temperatures that are too cold can potentially exacerbate symptoms of acute recurring injuries. Adding cold compression therapy to your recovery program is the best way to ensure the fastest rehabilitation.

If you experience recurring acute upper extremity injuries or plan to have upper extremity surgery, talk to your doctor or physical therapist about the benefits of cold and compression therapy. You can also find a Game Ready provider near you using our online provider locator. 

What challenges have you had to face with upper extremity injuries?

Most people know that RICE is a common prescription to treat injuries. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation are proven to facilitate the healing process after a musculoskeletal injury. All of these components are essential for tissue repair and injury recovery, and some of them can be enhanced to make the recovery process even faster.

Rest and elevation are two factors that cannot be improved, but with advanced technology, cold and compression can be. Cold therapy can be improved with technology that enables constant, consistent cooling to the injured site. Compression therapy can be enhanced with active, pneumatic pressure that creates a pumping effect at the injury site to provide several health benefits.

Five Ways Compression Therapy Accelerates Injury Recovery

The pumping effect that mimics the body's natural muscular movements provides the following injury recovery benefits:

1. Less swelling - Inflammation and swelling are not only uncomfortable, they can also inhibit the healing process. Compression therapy is proven to help reduce swelling, especially in combination with cold therapy.

    

2. Less edema - Excess fluid buildup can also slow down the healing process and inhibit range of motion if the injury is at or near a joint. Compression combined with elevation can help reduce this excess fluid in the body.
3. More nutrients - Active compression helps stimulate the flow of lymph fluid, which carries vital nutrients, to the damaged tissues surrounding the injury. Lymph fluid is also important for removing waste from cells and body tissues, an important function during the tissue regeneration process.
4. More oxygen - Injured tissue requires oxygen for it to repair itself. However, swelling can inhibit the flow of blood to an injury, slowing down the healing process. Active compression helps improve blood flow, thereby enhancing the delivery of oxygen to damaged tissue.
5. Faster tissue repair - The combination of reduced swelling and delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the injury site enables more rapid tissue repair and an overall faster healing process.

If you are recovering from an injury, reduce your recovery time with active cold and compression therapy. Compression wraps designed specifically for each body part ensure that the entire surface area receives the same pressure and temperature, making active cold and compression therapy more effective than ice water therapy and compression bandages alone.

Game Ready's cold compression therapy wraps are designed to provide consistent cold temperatures with simultaneous active compression. This combinations takes RICE to a new level so you can recover faster and get back to your life more quickly. Contact us today to learn more about renting or purchasing your own Game Ready system.

How quickly did you recover from your last injury? Would you like your next recovery to be faster?

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee is essential for maintaining stability in the joint. Because it is so important to everyday function, when it becomes damaged or torn, surgery is often the recommended course of action. Although the surgery itself is fairly routine, it does take some time for the body to recover.

Following a few tips during ACL surgery recovery can help you heal faster and get back on your feet more quickly.

Seven Tips for ACL Surgery Recovery

1. Avoid infection - Keep the surgical incisions clean and dry and monitor for fever. If you have a persistent fever after surgery, let your doctor know right away.
   
   
2. Get plenty of rest - The body needs energy to heal, especially after surgery or an injury. Make sure that you get enough quality sleep, and while you're awake don't exert yourself too much, especially in the first week.
3. Eat well - A nutritious diet rich with healthy foods will help ensure that essential nutrients will be available for your healing tissues.
   
   
4. Elevate your leg - In the first few days after surgery, elevating your leg will help keep swelling down.
   
   
5. Use ice and compression - Cryotherapy helps reduce inflammation and pain, while compression helps remove edema and also contributes to inflammation control. Ask your doctor or physical therapist if they have equipment available during your ACL surgery recovery. Specialized wraps that provide active cold and compression therapy are more effective than ice packs and compression bandages.
   
   
6. Manage your pain - Cold and compression will help reduce pain after surgery, possibly even eliminating the need for pain control medications. However, if you do still have pain, work with your doctor to develop a pain management strategy that works for you.
   
   
7. Do physical therapy - As your ACL heals you will need to rehabilitate it and the surrounding tissues. Your physical therapist will likely recommend exercises like ankle flexion, gentle knee bends, and other activities that will help strengthen and stretch the muscles around your knee. It is important to follow your therapist's instructions closely, which includes not overdoing it too soon.

All of these tips will help you speed up ACL surgery recovery, especially the use of active cold compression therapy. Before you have surgery, ask your doctor about the Game Ready active cold compression system to help you reduce pain, inflammation, and edema.

The system comes with an adjustable knee wrap that is designed to conform to your body. The wrap has a dual-chamber system that allows cold water and air to consistently circulate at the same time. This simultaneous application of cold and compression is proven to be more effective than ice packs alone. If you want to learn more, get in touch with us today.

Are you ready for your upcoming ACL surgery?

 

Recovering from a knee surgery, whether it is an ACL or MCL repair, usually includes some type of supportive knee brace. As the tissues in your knee are healing, the surrounding muscles and ligaments in the joint need support so the entire structure can heal properly.

There are several types of knee braces your doctor or physical therapist might recommend depending on the stage of recovery.

Knee Braces for ACL and MCL Surgery Recovery

In addition to keeping your leg elevated, getting ample rest, using cold and compression therapy, and other knee surgery recovery strategies, using a brace is a standard part of the healing process. Some solutions to consider during recovery include:

1. Cold compression wraps -Typically used immediately after surgery to help control pain and swelling, these wraps use active cold and compression to increase the benefits of cryotherapy. Cold compression wraps can be used throughout your recovery to help remove edema, reduce pain, control inflammation, and generally speed up the healing process.
   
   
2. Post-op knee brace - Your knee may need to be immobilized for long periods of time shortly after surgery. A post-op knee brace extends the length of your leg to limit range of motion in the joint while still allowing you to get around.
   
   
3. Hinged knee braces - These types of braces are designed to prevent hyperextension in the knee and limit the type of rotation that can put strain on the knee joint. After your knee has healed enough to support weight and you are able to participate in low-impact activities, your doctor may recommend wearing a hinged brace.

In addition to providing support while your ACL or MCL is healing, knee braces also protect the joint from impacts that could cause more damage to the knee. For this reason, many health care providers recommend the use of a knee brace while doing high-impact activity even after the surgery has fully healed.

If you do have MCL or ACL surgery, be sure to use the knee braces prescribed by your doctor. They should help you select the right size and type, and ensure that you know how to put it on and adjust it if necessary.

Using Game Ready cold compression wraps and other types of supportive braces after surgery can help you get back on your feet faster. They can also help reduce the pain and discomfort that comes with the natural swelling after surgery. Ask your doctor about using Game Ready after your surgery, or find a local provider using our locator.

Have you ever used any of these types of knee braces?

 

A dislocated shoulder injury is common in certain sports, particularly those with a lot of contact between players (football, hockey, rugby, etc.) or the potential for an impact with the ground (gymnastics, volleyball, downhill skiing, etc). A dislocated shoulder injury can also be caused by a trauma such as a car accident or a fall.

Whether it is a sports injury or an unfortunate accident, it is useful to understand what happens in the body when a shoulder becomes dislocated and how you can help speed up the recovery process.

4 Things You Need to Know about a Dislocated Shoulder

1. Dislocation is different from separation - When a shoulder is dislocated, the upper arm bone (humerus) becomes separated from the shoulder blade (scapula) and pops out of the socket. In contrast, a shoulder separation occurs when the ligaments that connect the scapula and the clavicle are damaged.
   
   
2. Shoulder dislocation is a serious injury - If not treated properly, a dislocated shoulder can result in future dislocations, a frozen shoulder, and other joint complications in the future. Some dislocations may also result in bone fractures, muscle tears, or nerve or blood vessel damage. Only a trained medical professional can properly diagnose these potential complications, which is one reason it is so important to quickly see a doctor if a dislocated shoulder injury is suspected.
   
   
3. Symptoms may vary - If you experienced a sports trauma or other event that might have resulted in a shoulder dislocation, there are some common signs. Significant pain is almost always an unfortunate symptom, along with the inability to move the arm and numbness. In many cases, the shoulder will actually be visibly dislocated.
   
   
4. The faster you treat it, the faster you recover - When treated properly, a dislocated shoulder often fully recovers and full range of motion is restored. In addition to prompt medical attention and a careful return to activity, the healing process can be accelerated with cryotherapy and compression to help reduce inflammation and protect healthy tissue.

If you are concerned that you might have a dislocated shoulder injury, seek medical attention immediately so you can start recovering as soon as possible.

If you are recovering from a dislocated shoulder injury, ask your doctor, coach, or trainer about Game Ready cold compression therapy systems. Our patented wraps are designed to completely cover the entire shoulder area, so you get the benefits of cryotherapy and active compression exactly where you need them. Contact us today to learn more or to get your own Game Ready system.

Have you ever had a dislocated shoulder injury? Tell us about your recovery in the comments section.

 

Just as with healing from any injury, complications can arise during MCL surgery recovery. Some of these are predictable and avoidable, while others are more anomalous. Doing your part to prevent potential complications can help your MCL surgery recovery go more smoothly and allow you to get back on your feet faster.

Following your doctor's instructions after surgery is most important. You may also work with a physical therapist who recommends exercises to help you improve range of motion by strengthening the muscles around the knee. Following their rehab plan is also critical for full recovery from MCL surgery.

3 MCL Surgery Recovery Complications

Not following your doctor's instructions can increase the risk of the following complications:

1. Re-injury - Returning to activity too soon or engaging in contact sports before the ligament has fully healed can result in a second rupture or tear.
   
   
2. Infection - Any incision is susceptible to infection. This complication is easily avoidable with antibiotics that your doctor will prescribe after surgery.
   
   
3. Knee instability - If you return to activity before the injury has fully healed, you may experience long-term instability in the joint. The MCL is one of seven ligaments in the knee, and one of the most important for providing support in the joint. The key to avoiding this complication is proper rehabilitation. A physical therapist can help you safely return to activity, but you must follow their recommendations to ensure that you don't push yourself too hard too soon after knee surgery.

Some of the complications that cannot necessarily be mitigated during MCL surgery recovery include failure of the repair, prominent hardware, and nerve injury. These types of complications result from the surgery itself and are not caused by patient activities during recovery.

Avoiding Complications During MCL Surgery Recovery

For those complications that are preventable, there are some simple steps you can take to reduce the risk that they will happen to you:

• Follow doctor recommendations
• Participate in physical therapy
• Get sufficient rest
• Use cold compression therapy

As your body heals from surgery, the tissue repairs itself and eventually returns to its pre-injury form and function. However, while this healing is occurring, the body's natural response is inflammation. Using cold compression therapy during this time can help control inflammation and allow the body to heal more quickly.

Game Ready has developed a patented system to deliver active cold and compression therapy directly to the areas where it is most needed. Specialized knee wraps enclose the entire joint and ensure that therapeutic cold reaches all the injured tissues consistently and deeply. Active compression helps control swelling and reduces edema at the same time.

If you expect to go through MCL surgery recovery, talk to your doctor about Game Ready or contact us today to learn more about renting your own system.

Have you ever experienced complications after knee surgery? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Athletes, coaches, and trainers have an interest in learning the best ways to quickly recover from football injuries. Players want to get back in the game as soon as possible; coaches need the whole team in top shape to be successful and trainers are tasked with keeping athletes in playing condition.

Football injuries can happen to ankles, legs, knees, and shoulders. Some of the most common football injuries include:

• ACL and MCL tears

• Torn meniscus

• Ankle sprains and strains

• Torn hamstrings

• Contusions or "dead leg"

• Tendinitis in shoulders and other joints

• Shoulder dislocation or separation

Players suffer impacts from tackling, make quick turns that can damage joints, and put a lot of pressure on their bodies during games and practices. Even a minor sprain can slow a player down or take them out of the next game.

Use Cold Compression Therapy to Recover from Football Injuries

RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) is a tried and true method for recovering from a range of football injuries, and it is almost always used as a first line of defense for reducing swelling and pain. However, even though this method has been used for years, it's not perfect.

Rest and elevation are elements of RICE that cannot be improved. The athlete simply needs time and patience during this part of injury recovery. However, the traditional methods for ice and compression leave room for improvement.

Ice therapy has two major flaws. The first is the risk of skin damage because if the ice pack is too cold, ice burn or frost bite can occur. The second is the inability to consistently cool the injured area. As soon as an ice pack is applied to an injury, heat is transferred from the body to the ice pack, causing the therapeutic cold temperature to increase and become less effective over time. A cold therapy system with Active Temperature Exchange technology ensures that a safe, consistent therapeutic cold temperature is provided for the duration of the application.

Static compression helps reduce swelling and edema, but these benefits can be taken to a new level with active compression. Pneumatic pressure in an active compression system mimics the body's natural muscle contractions, helping to increase blood flow and remove excess fluid from the injured area.

The time required to recover from football injuries varies significantly, but it can often be reduced with active cold and compression. Deeper, more consistent cooling helps facilitate the healing process so damaged tissues can repair themselves more quickly and injured players can get back in the game.

Game Ready’s wraps provide active compression and consistent cold to the entire injured area. Whether it's a sprained ankle, a damaged knee, or a shoulder injury, Game Ready is proven to be more effective than ice packs alone. Contact us today to learn more about how you can get Game Ready for your football team.

How many injuries does your football team sustain each season?

Amputation rehabilitation is an ongoing process that is different for every individual. However, there are some common steps in the recovery process that every patient can expect to encounter. The emotional response to an amputation will vary, but the physical response is easier to prepare for, especially if you know more about what to expect in advance.

Amputation Rehabilitation: Week 1

The first week after surgery, the surgical site needs a lot of attention. At first the medical staff will change dressings, but in many cases they will show you how to do it yourself in preparation for leaving the hospital. The healing process is monitored closely and antibiotics are administered to prevent infection. You will also likely receive medication to help manage the pain immediately following amputation surgery. If you are experiencing phantom limb pain or intense emotions related to the loss of a limb, your doctor may recommend counseling.

Compression is a key component during this stage of the healing process because it helps to reduce swelling and prevents fluid build-up in the residual limb. Cold therapy may also be used to help manage pain and reduce the need for medication. 

Amputation Rehabilitation: Weeks 2-4

Physical therapy typically starts as soon after surgery as possible. Early in the process, gentle stretching is recommended to help improve blood flow and to maintain a healthy range of motion. You may also start to learn how to do daily activities such as dressing yourself, changing bandages, showering, and other skills that will allow you to be more independent.

You may also start practicing with an artificial limb as soon as ten days after surgery. The sooner you can get used to walking with an artificial limb, the faster the recovery process will be. 

Amputation Rehabilitation: Months 2-3

Your residual limb should be completely healed within a couple months, but rehabilitation does not stop when the surgical site is healed. Your residual limb will continue to change over time, which means that prosthetics must be re-fitted occasionally. You may also find that the use of a prosthetic limb causes swelling or irritation, especially during the first few months of use. Using cold therapy and active compression can help reduce pain and swelling; it also helps the residual limb maintain shape for a longer period of time.

Game Ready's new amputee wrap is designed to help speed the recovery process after a below-the-knee amputation. In the first weeks after surgery, the active compression pumps fluid away from the residual limb and promotes healthy circulation to help speed up the healing process. The consistent cold therapy also helps reduce pain and prevents secondary tissue growth. Talk to your doctor about getting a Game Ready system for your amputation rehabilitation process.

Download our free guide to amputee recovery for more helpful tips and advice.

Cold (cryo) therapy is widely used after a musculoskeletal injury or post-surgery to decrease pain, muscle spasms, edema and swelling. Let’s say you’ve had an ankle or knee injury. You know the drill – get in bed or on the couch, elevate the leg and apply ice to the injured area. You also remember the mess and inconvenience this kind of ice water therapy causes – wet pillows, bedclothes, blankets, etc. Staying compliant with that type of cold therapy is really difficult and that’s just one reason why ice water therapy alone isn’t ideal for recovering from a sports injury.

What’s even more important to know is that using ice water therapy by itself versus combining it with compression is an area that’s been studied by researchers in the field of orthopedics, sports medicine and physical therapy. These studies consistently find that when a patient combines active cold therapy with active (sometimes known as intermittent) compression of the affected area, muscle recovery is accelerated. Why is this true? What clinical benefits does active compression offer to someone suffering from a sports injury?

Mimics natural muscle contractions

The use of active compression helps to more rapidly get rid of the edema that surrounds injured soft tissue. Edema is caused by protein leakage from capillaries due to inflammatory affects on the endothelial cells. Edema reduces the availability of oxygen to the tissue, which decreases the energy needed to push the accumulated fluid out of the cell and restore normal flow. Numerous studies have concluded that normal lymphatic flow is critical for faster healing.

Reduced scar tissue formation

When edema builds up and is not rapidly removed, it can cause scar tissue formation. Active compression helps with lymphatic drainage and restoration of normal functioning so long-term tissue damage is minimized.

Improved blood flow

Your soft tissues and muscles need blood, which carries critical nutrients as well as oxygen, to function properly and to heal. Active compression helps blood flow through the injured area more effectively by stimulating endothelial cell production of nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter that enhances the vascular tone of the affected injury site.

Enhanced tissue healing

Researchers have found that active compression seems to provide a therapeutic effect that speeds connective tissue healing. The external pressure that is cyclically applied causes increased arterial blood flow, decreases venous pressure and reduces the diminution of blood flow to the injured area. In plain English, this means that active compression appears to encourage the acceleration of the healing process.

The Best Approach: Active Cold Therapy with Active Compression

When active cold and compression therapy are put together in one synergistic, convenient system, the clinical benefits are amplified. The soft tissue-cold surface contact is enhanced because of the compressive action, which increases the degree of tissue cooling. This improves pain relief, speeds healing, and minimizes long-term tissue necrosis and scar formation.

Don’t rely on outdated and ineffective ice water therapy when you have a sports injury. Ask your doctor or physical therapist for the system that combines active cold and compression in one package, so you get your game back faster. What system would you rather use to recover faster? 

 

Thanks to surgical and physical therapy advances over recent years, rotator cuff surgery recovery won't keep you off the job or out of the gym as long as it once did. Rotator cuff tears are not uncommon in adults and are usually caused by acute trauma or repetitive overhead work such as painters or construction workers might perform. Once your physician diagnoses a tear and recommends surgery, you'll need to plan for a period of post-operative physical therapy. How long that therapy last depends on several factors:

• the severity of your tear;
• the type of surgery performed (open surgery requires longer healing compared to a minimally-invasive arthroscopic procedure);
• your pre-surgical physical condition;
• the type of cold and compression therapy provided by your physical therapist (PT) following surgery.

The last item is very important and one that you should proactively pursue with your PT. Cold (cryo)therapy is routinely used for rotator cuff surgery recovery because of its ability to reduce swelling and diminish pain. Compression therapy helps to restore normal physiologic processes in the damaged tissue more rapidly and speeds lymphatic drainage, which accelerates the healing process.

Here are 5 key things you should discuss with your surgeon and/or  PT so your rotator cuff surgery recovery proceeds as rapidly and successfully as possible:

1.    Not all cold and compression therapy is equal. Sure, if you want to go really old school, you can put crushed ice in a plastic bag or buy a bag of frozen peas and apply it to your shoulder. There are also systems that use ice water in a pad that's affixed to the shoulder with an elastic compression wrap, as well as devices that continuously circulate cold water through pads affixed with elastic wrap.

2.    Comparative studies have shown these solutions to be less effective than a more advanced system that delivers both cold and compression therapy in an ergonomic wrap that's especially designed for delivering targeted shoulder therapy.

3.    Though static compression is an effective way to reduce swelling, intermittent compression therapy is better for also optimizing lymphatic drainage. Active compression is especially helpful when a patient is not able to generate rhythmic muscle contractions that help stimulate tissue recovery.

4.    Using a system that combines cold and intermittent compression therapy has been shown to reduce the number of post-surgical PT visits required. This means lower costs are incurred for therapy and a quicker return to normal functioning.

5.    Post-surgical pain and the use of pain medication is an important issue for physicians and patients. Physicians want to make sure their patients don't become dependent on pain medication; patients want faster relief and the ability to function without being under the influence of powerful pain meds. Using a combined cryotherapy and intermittent compression system has been shown to improve short-term pain relief and reduce the use of pain meds. One patient who had undergone 2 prior shoulder surgeries before using this system after his third surgery found it helped reduce his pain and bruising and led to a faster recovery.

Don't be satisfied with 20th-century cold and compression technology for your rotator cuff surgery recovery. Ask for the system that's used by professional athletes as well as regular folks who want to get back to work as fast as possible. How can we help?