Lower Leg Ice Wrap
Front and Back
Lower Leg Ice Wrap harness
Do you have shin splints. Do you have Calf muscle pain? Achilles Tendonitis? Mild anterior compartment syndrome?
For any of the above you need to ice the lower leg. There is a variety of ways to provide cold therapy to the lower leg. Some are better than others.
Due the mechanism of Tendonitis, chronic inflammation is a factor. Chronic (and new) inflammation causes pain.
Lowering inflammation levels reduces pain levels. Dealing with pain is pretty basic that way.
Lower Leg Ice Wrap
Cold Compression Front And Back
My primary suggestion for tendonitis, inflammation and the lower leg is always Ice Dipping, as described on the How To Reduce Inflammation page.
Basically, a 5 gallon bucket or the equivalent full of water and ice and/or frozen water bottles. Arctic cold. 10 second dips as many times as possible throughout the day.
The Process of Inflammation releases chemical which enhances your sensitivity to pain. You gotta get that chemical out if you want to feel less pain.
There are many ways to ice. Some are more effective than others. It just depends on what you want to accomplish.
Ice Dipping is a little bit superficial. Sometimes you want to get the cold deeper into the tissue.
I'm not at all a fan of cold packs. Having said that, it just all depends on how they're used. Sometimes Ice Dipping isn't an option.
If ice packs are used, 20 minutes on and 20 off 3 times in a day is rather a waste of time. If you think it's a good idea, I suggest that you learn more about how the body responds to cold.
When using cold packs, I suggest 2-5 minutes on, 5-10 minutes off, and repeat as many times as you can.
20 minutes on isn't -bad-, per se, it just depends on how much EFFECT you want. Sometimes I'm lazy and just sit around with an ice pack on.
I like this Double Knee Ice Wrap - Ice Bags in Front & Behind Knee
(as shown in the picture above). It's one of my favorite ways to get the lower leg with cold.
It can be used for the knee, and it can be used to get the shins and the calves/back of the leg at the same time. That's awesome.
How To Use The Lower Leg Ice Wrap
Best Use of Lower Leg Ice Wrap:
If you have knee pain, you want to get the front and back of the knee. You also want to get the thighs and hamstrings (front and back) and might as well do both sides too (later and medial)
If you have Shin Splints, calf muscle pain, Achilles Tendonitis, and/or mild Anterior Compartment Syndrome (severe ACS gets you a trip to the emergency room!), then you hit the front and back of the lower leg.
The double ice bag harness is somewhat adjustable so you can have it higher or lower on the lower leg...knee to above the ankle. Heck, can use it on the ankles too.
** BONUS! ** Ice on front and back creates more circulation than just a cold pack on one spot.
Timing and Icing
- Fill up the bags with ice.
- Strap on the double ice bag harness, getting the ice on the spots you want.
- Tighten as much as possible.
- 2-5 minutes on.
- 5-10 minutes off.
- Repeat as often as possible. You want the shock of the cold, that's what creates the circulation that gets waste product and irritant out and new stuff in.
- It's ok to move the foot/ankle/knee around, either walking or sitting. That's a higher level/a bit more complex level of self care, so don't worry about it at this point, move around or sit still. either way.
It's pretty simple really. The effort to repetitively put it on and take it off is a bit annoying (to me at least), but it's required for best results.
And if you're going to do it, you might as well maximize your results, right?
To lower the Symptoms of Tendonitis, it's essential to reduce inflammation activity.
Return to the top of this Lower Leg Ice Wrap
Go to the main Tendonitis page.
Go to the www.TendonitisExpert.com homepage.
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