At the risk of sounding obsessed, let me share the saga of finding the perfect ice bag.
I had both knees replaced about a year ago. Needless to say, I needed to ice my knees frequently both before and after the surgery. In those two years, I tried every ice bag, ice pad, ice system known to man. Here is my assessment of all approaches:
REUSABLE GEL PADS: Usually blue, plastic and filled with gel, placed in freezer and is reusable. The good thing about these is that they don't leak--they are reusable and they can form around the area. The bad thing that was a deal breaker for me is that they lose their cool quickly--and you need to have a number of them in your freezer to make sure you have it when you need it. And they simply do not get as cold as a regular ice bag.
ICE BAG- RUBBER: Ice bags are arguable the best. You can fill at will with ice again and again. They get much colder than the gel pads. They can be packed in a suitcase and used at a hotel (if you travel like I do). HOWEVER, the wrong bag is worse that the gel pads. I have found that rubber ice bags are prone to "condensation" and if you use at night, you will wake up with a wet mattress where the bag is. Not fun.
ICE BAG-FABRIC: Again, the ice bag is the best overall. But Fabric bags can be very stiff and hard to form around your joint or area you are trying to ice. They don't conform as well as the rubber bags. And I have found they leak--not sure why.
THIS ICE BAG: The Mueller Ice Bag is the best ice approach I have ever used. It is soft like the rubber bags,but do not have the same level of condensation. And they DO NOT LEAK. The soft, rounded plastic of the mouth and screw top never hurt you when it happens to touch your skin, and the mouth is big enough for any size ice cube. The "fabric" of the bag is perfect. SIMPLY THE BEST
Wishing you speedy recovery.
Great ice bag at a great price.
Also, a tip from my knee surgeon:
Fill bag with 1/2 water, 1/2 rubbing alcohol. Freeze the mixture to get a soft, frozen "slushy" mix!!
Re-freeze it over and over again~!! Colder than ice, but never rock solid.
Ahhh....
Plus, you'll never empty the bag or get new ice cubes!
You can buy a strap (wrap) for a knee, designed to keep this ice pack in place. Sorry I don't have the link to that!
This is the best alternative to a ziplock bag of ice for general use on your body because it stays cold and doesn't drip water. I think its better than those gel ice packs because it isn't rock solid when you pull it out of the freezer and if you need to use this ice pack for a longer period of time, you don't have to throw it in the freezer and wait another 5 hours before it gets cold again. If you need an ice pack for frequent use on a specific part of your body then you're probably better off looking for something else made to wrap around that body part. I get frequent migraines and have been using this pack for years. Over time, the inner lining of the pack will leak and cause the outer material to get wet but that should only occur after lots of usage and if you're laying on it like I do at times. For the price, I think you have to expect this type of product to be replaced but if you use it infrequently then it should last you years.
I will continue to use this product for body aches but have found a better alternative for my migraines by using an ice pack that wraps around your head so I don't have to balance this ice pack on my head or face.
This has been so useful to an ice pack for my rabbits on a hot day to a heat pack for aches and pains, for the three years I've had mine there had been no issues until when I was twisting the top off the whole thing came off so now it's just the bag, but for it to have lasted three years I'd say it's worth the buy
These are the best ice bags. I wish I had bought several of these years ago. They are perfect when you need an ice pack. They are easy to fill. Mine has never leaked even after the ice is melted and it is full of water. They are just the right temperature and don't get too cold against your skin. I also like that the can be molded to any shape you need. The lid pops off and you just have to air dry it out. I have one and plan to buy another one. The 9inch is a good size and I'll probably buy the smaller one next.
Feature Product
- . The long straps provide a custom fit with firm, comfortable compression.
- The ice bag is made with a high-tech liner that won't drip or leak
- Ideal for application of cold therapy in helping to teat minor scraps, bruises, muscle aches and sprains, and headaches
- Made from latex free materials
- Includes (1) Ice Bag Wrap and (1) 9" Reusable Ice Bag
Description
The soft, adjustable ice bag wrap is ideal for applying cold therapy to small or large body parts. The long straps provide a custom fit with firm, comfortable compression. The ice bag is made with a high-tech liner that won’t drip or leak. Instead the light blue fabric turns darker as it wicks moisture away – evaporating without dripping – so you stay dry. Extra wide opening for easy filing. Ideal for application of cold therapy in helping to teat minor scraps, bruises, muscle aches and sprains, and headaches. Cold therapy is recommended to help relieve pain, reduce swelling and speed recovery.
This is the only kind of icepack I'll use. I recently had multiple hernias repaired and spent four straight days on my back icing three different points on my abdomen. I started off with one of these and two of those freezable gel pack icepacks and ditched those after the first two days and bought two more of these. Yes, you do have to refill them by hand with icecubes, but they stay cold sooo much longer. The bag never leaked once and depending on how much you fill it it can either be fairly rigid and hold its shape or, if you fill it a little less, it will spread out over a larger area. The two additional ones I bought were from my local pharmacy and the fabric on those was a little stiffer; this one on Amazon was a bit softer and more malleable.
I haven't used one of these since I was a kid and didn't even know they still made them. My whole adult life, I've just used Ziploc bags. But I was having surgery and needed to ice a lot so I figured I would give it a try when I saw it on Amazon. I am glad I did. The bag holds a lot of ice and the fabric cover rubber transmits the cold without getting all wet from condensation like plastic bags do. This is great if you are using it in bed. Plus the cap seals really well and leaks are just not a concern, unlike ziplocs. Plastic bags work fine for an occasional icing but if you are going to use it a lot it is definitely worth the few bucks to go old school.
The bag is easy to fill and I don't have to worry about leaks anymore. When I started using it, I thought the bag was leaking because the fabric looked wet, but after checking the product description, -- "the light blue fabric turns darker as it wicks moisture away – evaporating without dripping – so you stay dry" -- I realized that was normal. The strap is good too.
I bought this for my knee pain. I haven't used it there yet; but I did some yard work today and my back was sore. I was able to wrap this around my waist to keep some ice there while I did other things and it helped. Currently, I'm 5'1 and 115 lbs.
I tested and it will also wrap around my knee. I could wrap it around a wrist, elbow, or ankle, as well; but, there would be a lot of the wrap.
I play tennis a couple times a week and I have rotator cuff issues so I could really use some ice on my shoulder after playing. But I rarely ever ice because it's a hassle. I don't like icing because I typically just use fill up a zip-loc bag with ice, but it's not the greatest way to ice. First off, you deal with a fair bit of condensation so the area you are trying to ice gets wet - not a huge deal but an annoyance especially if you don't want to get water leaking on your clothes or upholstery. Second, the ice against the plastic is so cold that it becomes uncomfortable. So you wrap the bag with a towel to deal with the first two issues, but then it's just not cold enough.
Well, my wife ordered one of these bags about a few weeks back and I thought why the heck haven't I tried these before? They are awesome!!! The fabric is thin enough that the area you are trying to ice gets cold but the texture of the fabric is such that it minimizes condensation. When I say minimizes condensation, it's almost non-existent. I live in Southern California where the air is usually pretty dry, but during the weeks that I first used it we were in the midst of an El Nino summer and it was actually quite humid so I'm confident that you will have minimal condensation no matter where you live.
I have since ordered two more of these bags. I haven't tried other bags, but I have tried the gels packs that you put in the freezer and I would say that this is my favorite way to ice my shoulder. I fill the bag about 2/3 to 3/4 full of ice then put about a 1/4 cup of water in. I try to get as much of the air out of the bag then screw the lid on. (The screw top creates a nice seal and does not leak.) The bag conforms to the shape of my shoulder nicely and gets it very cold without feeling like it is burning my skin from being too cold.
When I'm done, I simply pour the water out and then give it a few good shakes to get as much water out as possible. Due to the folds that are used to increase the capacity of the bag without introducing seams it is difficult to get all of the water out. I then try to puff up the bag then allow it to air dry without the lid to mitigate any nasty smells that might result from the moisture.
I highly recommend this bag to anybody looking for a convenient and low-cost solution to making icing easy.
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