More than 110 hours used for product evaluation including research and hands-on testing, we think that the Ankle Cold Compression Therapy Wrap for with Reusable Gel Pack and Ball Pump X-Tra Cold Retention is the best from our top five ankle ice pack. This healthcare tool brings together the cold therapy and compression for the ultimate relief from ankle pains. It has long coldness retention for hours with our need to refreeze and likewise give support for the entire feet from the ankles up to the toes.
Climbing, jumping, and running are just a few of the activities that motivates me to woke up to during school break.
Of course, all the good things have an end. For me, it was when I sprained my leg after falling off a tree.
Young, wild and careless is the perfect equation for feet injuries.
We don’t have an ice pack back then, and it was only later did we realize that we can cover ice cubes with a towel. It was messy though, and I had to suffer through wet sheets for days.
The result?
Weeks of inflation and pain.
Learning this hard lesson, I with the help of researchers and testers look through the online and offline market to seek for the best ankle ice pack.
We created also created criteria to help us and you choose and placed our top five ankle ice pack on hands-on testing to determine which is the best from among them.
5 Best Ankle Ice Packs
| Product | Dimensions (WxDxH) | Weight | Compartments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Techni Mobili Mobile & Compact Complete Computer Workstation Desk | 31 x 23.5 x 41 inches | 31 lbs | 5 |
| Mobile Ergonomic Stand up Desk Computer Workstation | 28.8 x 31.5 x 46.1 | 51 lbs | 3 |
| (also offered in 24” and 40”) | |||
| Mount-It! Mobile Stand Up Desk | 28 x 27.5 x Adjustable height from 37 to 54 inches | 44.9 lbs | 4 |
| SDADI Mobile Stand Up Desk | Adjustable height from 27.5 to 45.3 inches | 28.1 lbs | 2 |
| Ameriwood Home 9378196 Sheldon Mobile Computer Desk | 26.6 x 19.9 x 29.1 inches | 17.4 lbs | 3 |
How do they work?
Ankle ice pack is a specialized ice pack meant to fit or wrapped around the ankle. Like the regular ice pack or bag, the ankle ice pack helps in relieving pain caused by injuries.
According to experts and professionals, when you hurt your ankle in an accident, it is recommendable to place an ice pack on the injured area to minimize pain and prevent further damage like inflammation and swelling.
There are also instances other than accidents where the ice pack is needed on a regular basis. For instance, arthritis, post-surgeries, tendonitis and the likes. Hence, the ankle ice pack is not for a one-time.
Most of the ankle ice pack wraps around the ankle, which may or may no include the heel of the feet depending on the design. There is also ice pack that has additional features like a pump for compression or it can simply a pack without any strap-ons.
Buyer’s Guide
Who can use
Falling off from the tree and no ice pack to use equals weeks of swelling and pain.
A lesson painfully learned from the experience is that an ice pack should be part of your emergency kit. That is, it is an essential healthcare tool and not only meant for super serious injuries. In fact, it is most useful for personal and professional settings.
With this realization, it can be said that the anybody can use an ice pack in cases of emergencies that at time inevitable even at in places we think are safest—or homes.
Recommendation for use
The ankle ice pack in itself is already an efficient healthcare tool for treating injuries. But, it can be more effective when done with the following things:
- Aside from placing cold (or hot) pack for therapeutic purposes on the injured area, you can also apply compression. It can further help in preventing the swelling and at the same time provide the needed support for the injury.
- It’s also helpful to elevate your feet. Professionals say that raising your feet to the level of your heart can also lessen fluid flow and pooling
- Rest your feet. Since the feet are already strained, it is crucial to avoid
Buying Criteria
1. Portability
The ankle ice pack should not restrict your movements considering that the feet are a vital part of human body. It should not be too heavy or too tight so as to prevent you from making small or necessary movements.
With this consideration, the size of the ankle ice pack is a big factor. Most ice packs are universal in size and are even adjustable. However, there are users whose size requirement are bigger than the “fit-all” size. Thus, in choosing the ice pack, take into account feet size and the pack’s adjustability.
2. Coverage
Each ankle ice pack have different designs and approach to keeping the ankle cold treated. There are those that have 360 coverage with circles around the ankle and includes the heel of the feet. Other ankle ice packs look like a belt to be strapped on around the ankle area.
What is important here is that the injured part should be covered. The ice pack should be enough to compress the entire ankle and not just the parts of it.
3. Longevity of temperature
The main purpose of the ankle ice pack is to treat the injured ankle through cold therapy. It needs to be exposed to the coldness for a certain period making it important for the pack to retain coldness. Therefore, the ankle ice pack should keep the cold temperature to minimize freezing time of the pack.
How We Assessed & Evaluated These Ankle Ice Pack
We conducted an online research to begin our evaluation process. We looked into how ankle ice pack works to check whether our idea about the product is correct and to add information about it. From these online sources, we also take a look at the background of the brands and what other have to say about it
We then had our offline research through interviews with athletes, vendors and some of the friends who use ankle ice packs. We asked their experiences with this tool and their recommendations on how to choose the product.
We used our data to form our criteria before we looked into specific products. We have about 13 products on our list. We then ranked them to have our top five.
Once the top five are chosen, we did hands-on testing though our five testers. We were not able to get people who are actually injured as it would take too much time and we cannot control the variable.
What we did is to set a checklist with our chosen testers who are parents, athlete, healthcare providers and other people who have previous experience with this product. We asked them to check the fit of the ankle ice pack, the longevity of the temperature and the comfort while these are strapped.
Top 5 Ankle Ice Pack Product Reviews
1. Ankle Cold Compression Therapy Wrap (Editor’s Choice)
for with Reusable Gel Pack and Ball Pump X-Tra Cold Retention
This ankle ice pack is looks intimidating rather than comforting because of its massive size and the complicated-looking pump.
The Ankle Cold Compression Therapy Wrap for with Reusable Gel Pack and Ball Pump X-Tra Cold Retention is made based on standards, aiming to provide comfort and relief fast to the users. Thus, our testers’ impression was changed when they conducted their hands-on testing.
It covers the entire feet and few inches up from the ankles. Some of the testers believe that this can be used for a more serious injury by its size alone. While, there are other testers who think that this is too big for their comfort, especially that they have smaller feet sizes and leg circumference.
With the temperature of retention, the manufacturer said that it could last for up to two hours. The testers are divided on their experience. Two of the testers said that the coldness of the pack did reach exactly two hours, yet it was quite close. The rest of the testers testified it could reach the two-hour mark, but not the same coldness when first applied.
Aside from the cold therapy, it can also be used for compressing the injury with its built-in pump. Attached to the ankle ice pack is a ball pump that inflates the gel pack to put pressure on the injured area. In sports injury, compression prevents not only swelling but also eliminates internal bleeding.
The testers think that the gel pack with the added pressure is comforting even without the injury. So, they think that it can give the injured ankle the soothing relief they need from the pain.
This ankle gel pack can also be adjusted to fit both sides of the feet. It is a good advantage as obviously, we cannot know which leg or ankle will be injured.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
2. Shock Doctor Ice Recovery Compression Ankle Wrap (First Runner-up)
The Shock Doctor Ice Recovery Compression Ankle Wrap looks like a cast, which gives the testers the confidence that it will not only be a cold therapy, but also support. Arch support is vital in helping prevent crippling of the feet especially when it is one of the major parts of human feet.
This ankle ice strap has about four removable and reusable gel packs that are supposed to provide full coverage. It, in turn, is promised to have deep treatment process catalyzing the natural healing mechanism of the human body.
Our testers like that they can easily strap in on and immediately apply the cold therapy. There are other testers, however, who find that it is difficult to align the gel packs to the ankle (no matter how many). They pointed out that it may be because they have bigger leg and feet sizes than the others. Thus, the effective coverage of the is also dependent on the size of the user’s ankle.
They find it useful that this ankle ice pack is adjustable. That is, it can be moved around the ankles to maximize the gel packs. These gel packs are also removable and inserted without much effort when the coldness ebbs and you want to freeze it again.
Further, during the testing, all the testers agree that the Shock Doctor Ice Recovery Compression Ankle Wrap can retain the coldness longer compared to the other products on review. They said that this is an advantage especially when the changing of gel packs can cause pain to the injured. There is also a tester who said that it is suited for those who are alone and who cannot ask somebody to change gel packs for them.
This gel pack is also good for hot compress as the gel packs are removable to be heated.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
with Air Pump - Provides Ankle / Foot Compression Increases Cold and Reduces Inflammation and Swelling
The O2 Ice Cold Therapy Reusable Ankle / Foot Support Brace, with Air Pump - Provides Ankle / Foot Compression - Increases Cold and Reduces Inflammation and Swelling is another ankle ice pack with an attached pump.
Its difference with the Ankle Cold Compression Therapy Wrap with Reusable Gel Pack and Ball Pump X-Tra Cold Retention is the size. This ankle ice pack is comparatively smaller, where it does not cover the entire feet up to the toes.
The main purpose of such design is to allow mobility while giving support and to focus the gel pack on the ankles. Its support though focuses on the ankle are and not so much on the entire sole of the feet. The testers think that the design is fine if the toes are injured giving it more breathing space.
It is described to have one-size fits all. When our testers did the hands-on testing, they said that it could be adjusted to fit everyone’s feet. But, for those with bigger feet size, they had difficulty in placing the gel pack on their ankle.
They said that the pump helps a lot in adjusting the gel pack because it causes movements for the gel pack to settle. It also feels therapeutic to have air compressed on the joints. This is considering that the testers have no injuries.
The gel packs can effortlessly be removed for refreezing the gel packs and can be inserted back with ease.
If you don’t want to use the air pump, it can be removed as well. So, the ankle ice pack does not have to be bulky especially when you will be using it after gym or workout.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
The Mueller Cold/hot Wrap, Elastic, One Size looks similar to the Bodyprox Cold & Hot Therapy Wrap, Reusable Gel Pack for Pain Relief. Great for Sprains, Muscle Pain, Bruises, Injuries, Etc. (Foot, Arm, Elbow, Ankle), in which it is designed as a strap rather than a full-on ankle strap.
Due to its strap design, it can also be used in other parts of the body such as back, arms, hands, and knees like that of the Bodyprox Therapy Wrap. The difference of this ankle ice pack is its bigger size. So, when testers tried it on the ankle strap can rise a few inches above the ankle giving more coverage. Also, it can now fit the testers with big feet and large legs.
It can easily be adjusted to ensure that the cold gel pack is aligned to the injured part of the ankles. For the testers with smaller feet, it can work well with them.
If you want a hot compress, the gel pack of this ankle ice pack can be heated for hot compress as it has a dual temperature feature.
Though it is easy to heat or freeze, our testers think that the material of the gel pack is a bit thin or delicate. It does not give the security that it is built for long-term use. There was, however, no incident of leakage during the entire testing.
Our testers deemed that this product is meant to relieve mild injuries and not the serious kinds because when the strap is frozen, it is a bit hard and stiff. It places uncomfortable pressure on the skin and might be painful when the user really has injuries.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Reusable Gel Pack for Pain Relief. Great for Sprains, Muscle Pain, Bruises, Injuries, Etc. (Foot, Arm, Elbow, Ankle)
The Bodyprox Cold & Hot Therapy Wrap, Reusable Gel Pack for Pain Relief. Great for Sprains, Muscle Pain, Bruises, Injuries, Etc. (Foot, Arm, Elbow, Ankle) differentiates from the other ankle ice pack on the review as because of its design. It provides a rounded strap for the ankle, but without including the heels of the feet.
Though does not provide a full coverage like that of the others, our testers like that it can also be used to any body parts like the arms and the hands. It also uses an adjustable strap to allow the user to place it on different parts of the body and to secure it to fit different ankle sizes.
The size of this ankle ice pack has the same issue with other products on the review. There are testers who were not able to achieve their desired fit when they wrapped around their ankle. Hence, they believe that it is smaller than they need. The remaining testers think that the size it is just enough for them.
Another issue that the testers found from this product are that it does not stay cold or hot longer than they expected. Compared to the other products that can even reach hours before reheating or refreezing, this needs to be changed in minutes.
What makes this product good according to the testers is the ease of reheating (if you need a hot compress) because it can be microwaved. The problem though for the cooling of the gel pack is that it needs to be placed in the freezer to make it cold faster. The regular fridge does not work for most of the testers.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Our Recommendations
Editor's Pick: Ankle Cold Compression Therapy Wrap
We are always on the hunt for multifunctional products that give full benefits of its different uses. Hence, our Editor’s Choice for this review is the Ankle Cold Compression Therapy Wrap with Reusable Gel Pack and Ball Pump X-Tra Cold Retention.
Manufactured with industry standards, it offers a full 360 coverage of the feet from the top of the ankle to the toes. It provides cooling therapy, while also adding compression to relieve and eliminate pain and swelling at the most efficient time. Since it is large in size, it can provide support for serious injuries.
Runners Up: Shock Doctor Ice Recovery Compression Ankle Wrap and O2 Ice Cold Therapy Reusable Ankle / Foot Support Brace, with Air Pump
The First Runner-up is also an ankle ice pack that provides good coverage from the ankles to the feet. The Shock Doctor Ice Recovery Compression Ankle Wrap resembles a cast equipped with four ice packs for deep cooling treatment for extended periods. Although, you have to ensure that the ice pack is strapped properly to maximize the gel packs.
Our Second Runner-up is the O2 Ice Cold Therapy Reusable Ankle / Foot Support Brace, with Air Pump - Provides Ankle / Foot Compression - Increases Cold and Reduces Inflammation and Swelling, which also has an attached pump.
It is smaller than Ankle Cold Compression Therapy Wrap for with Reusable Gel Pack and Ball Pump X-Tra Cold Retention. This has a removable pump for compression to add comfort and relief. It did not fall in the first two top choices not of the size, but because of the difficulty in adjusting the pack.
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