How to Use Ice Machine for Healing Knee Injuries

An ice machine for the knee is a device to deliver cold therapy (ice therapy) to the knee joint. Using this machine is the best way to administer cold therapy to heal the knees. For cold therapy to work properly, it needs to be administered in a safe, convenient, and efficient manner. The use of an ice machine for knee helps precisely to do so. Its use can be thus helpful for patients to use cold therapy consistently without missing their healing sessions.

More about Cold Therapy

Cold therapy is the application of freezing temperatures over injuries in order to heal them. The cold temperature stops the blood supply to the injured site by temporarily blocking nerve communication around the same area. Without a proper blood supply, swelling on the injury begins to go down along with any resulting pain.  

For cold therapy to work well, its application needs to be consistent and optimal. Missing your healing sessions can slow your recovery. The healing can also be delayed if the delivery of cold therapy is uneven (as can happen with ice packs). For example, post knee replacement surgeries, consistent application of cold therapy can help patients experience pain relief sooner than expected. It also helps them to regain the range of motions in their knee joint faster than is possible without cold therapy.

The best way to administer cold therapy is to use machines designed for this purpose. Inconvenient methods of cold therapy delivery such as using ice packs often lead to patients to miss or even discontinue their healing sessions.

Improper healing of knee injuries can cause problems in the joint for life. A small injury from a fall can continue to cause pain in the knee joint for many years down the line. Improper healing of the joint post knee surgeries can also cause mobility problems.

You can use cold therapy to enhance your rehabilitation program and to also reduce the pain in the knee joint without using medicines. Pain-relievers can cause harmful dependency on them for patients with their excessive or prolonged use. Cold therapy is a natural healing method for reducing pain and healing all kinds of orthopedic trauma including knee injuries.

Using an Ice Machine for Healing Knee Injuries

An ice machine consists of components like a healing pad, a pump, a tank, etc. The tank is for storing the ice and the water. The healing pad covers the affected area. The pump helps the water flow from the tank via the tube to the healing pad as you switch on the machine.

To use an ice machine for the knee, you can either buy a unit with an all-purpose healing pad or one designed specifically for the knee joint. For example, IsoComforter makes special ice machines for knees with healing pads that you can comfortably wrap around the joint. These healing pads deliver cold therapy from all sides rather than just the top. Such healing pad designs are perfect for administering cold therapy to the entire knee joint at the same time.

You will need to use the machine for 2-3 times a day with each session around 15-20 minutes or as your doctor recommends its use for you. The important thing is to use the machine consistently until the knee joint heals completely. So, it is imperative to use a machine that you can use without hassles. For example, you won’t need to replenish IsoComforter machines with ice very often. It can lessen your workload quite a bit of preparing the machine for use every time. The use of a self-priming pump in IsoComforter machines also helps users to start the machine without any mechanical effort in operating it.

For optimal healing, it is also important to use ice machines that deliver cold temperature in a safe and even manner. For instance, IsoComforter healing pads contain ridges for safe temperature contact when in use. These machines are also designed using the patented Iso tube technology for delivering cold therapy most efficiently. You can easily use an ice machine for the knee at home settings to aid your recovery plan after sustaining injuries.