A knee ice wrap is the best way to utilize ice therapy for a knee injury or knee pain. Ice therapy is a very highly regarded and recommended treatment for many injuries and pain including knee pain. Knee pain can be caused by many things including: injuries, mechanical problems, types of arthritis and other problems.
RICE
You have probably heard of the acronym R.I.C.E for treatment of injuries. The acronym stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Knee ice wraps encompass the Ice and Compression components of R.I.C.E treatment. Knee ice wraps have many advantages versus other ice therapy methods.
When many people hurt their knee and want use R.I.C.E. they lay down and elevate their leg. For the ice component most people fill a bag of some sort with ice or grab a bag of frozen vegetables from the freezer and balance it on their knee. For the compression they can use an Ace bandage around their knee and put the ice bag on top of that. This is effective if the wrap is not too thick so as to prevent the cold from reaching the knee properly. It is also good because it protects the skin from getting too cold.
Some people may have an all purpose ice wrap that they fill with ice and can strap it to their knee. this is probably better than a bag of ice or frozen vegetables because it may allow the cold to surround more of the knee. This is only true if the all purpose wrap fits the knee adequately which may be tough for a wrap that can also be used for your back, ankle or shoulder.
An all purpose wrap that uses a re-usable ice pack is better. However, this is only true if the ice pack has individual chambers that keeps the cold evenly spread out over the pack. Without individual chambers the cooling agent can accumulate in areas like ice can and therefore not providing even cooling, or even any cooling, for your knee.
The best solution is an ice wrap designed specifically for knees that uses and an ice pack with individual chambers and preferably the cooling agent is non-toxic in case of a leak. A knee ice wrap provides compression and even cooling to the knee in all the right places. It also stays in place with no need to balance it or re-adjust. It can even be worn while walking.
There is also concern over the the ice wrap leaking like a bag of ice cubes or dripping from condensation. The ice inserts are cheap making it very affordable to have extras so you don't have to wait for one to re-freeze before using it again. The inserts may also be used in ice wraps for other body parts. Additionally, the ice pack stays at the optimal temperature for ice therapy longer than ice cubes or gel meaning it provides better cold therapy to the injured knee.
