Cryo cuff or....?

hegel

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I'd heard about ice machines and assumed they were too expensive, but then actually looked on line and the Cryo cuff ice machine and wrap is entirely do-able. BUT: is it the best/a good way to go for icing post surgery? I have a tiny ice compartment in the very small fridge in my apartment (and now this small apartment with no stairs is suddenly looking pretty good!) I could freeze a few water bottles and strap them on with some form of velcro belt, but I'm not sure how. The ice bags from the store work great but I'd go through a million in no time. And so on.

Any consensus on the best way to go? How hard is it to refill and work with the Cryo cuff? I'll be mostly alone in my apartment after surgery, 'though with plenty of support just upstairs and next door, and elsewhere. I totally understand how important icing is going to be!

I've always found that those gel packs were completely underwhelming. I like a good cold pack, like a bag of ice if possible.

edit: oh wait I thought that the cryo cuff system MADE ice. Still: if you fill the bucket with ice and it lasts for six...?ish hours, that might work. And I suppose you can wear it overnight...

thoughts?

edit two: and then there's this:
cryo max reusable cold pack (ice cubes gels in rows). I suppose I could get two packs and have one in the freezer while using the other.
 
No it doesn't make but it will keep ice/water cold for awhile. People also freeze water bottles and use those inside the unit. A friend let me borrow hers but it leaked (the actual cuff had really detoriated from being stored in a shed lol). So I just used ice packs and frozen peas for my first tkr. I am going to order a replacement cuff off amazon and see if it works without leaking for my 2nd tkr in October.
 
I used large gel packs (they do take up a bit of space in the freezer) for my recovery; my mom used giant bags of frozen peas. My sister used frozen corn. :heehee: Lots of people, though, swear by ice machines, and they're very popular. If you live on one floor, they are very easy to use.

People freeze small water bottles or ice in small Cool Whip containers to use in the ice machines. Ice cubes melt faster, so the bottles keep the circulating water cold for longer.

Find out if your insurance will pay for an ice machine. Many do.
 
Cool whip containers work well. You put cold water to fill line, put ice (water bottles, yogurt or cool whip containers in) and that’s it. Note that I am 8 days post op and my husband is filling it. Also, I opted for the motorized Cryo Cuff for $169 from Source Ortho.
 
InkedMarie, I'm still a bit uncertain as to how the Cryo cuff works, so if you don't mind can you detail it a bit?

--what's the advantage of the motorized?
--after the cuff is filled do you get up and drain it in the sink when the water warms or does it recycle?
--how many hours do you get from a bucket o'cool whip or water bottles?
--is the cuff sufficiently cold--must be, or you wouldn't like it!
I've always found that the gel packs aren't that cold and warm up fast so I'm hoping this cryo cuff will work better.

thanks in advance!

--Jeff
 
Hi @hegel
1) the motorized version compresses. It pumps the cold water around your knee; with gravity fed you have to lift and swish the canister to put more water in the cuff (note I paid for the motorized; Hospital sent me home with gravity. Husband checked it out but we haven’t used it).

2) you don’t drain it as it cycles cold water (as long as ice is in cooler). When you are out of ice, then you do have to drain the cooler and the cuff

3) we use cool whip, we get 2 ice blocks from those containers, my husband puts ice on top of those til the fill line. We get 5-6 hours of constant use.

4) yes it stays consistently cold with the motorized version.

This is the only ice machine I have any familiarity with; there are others out there but I’m happy with it!
 
Yes the compression and water pumping feature sounds really good! It's not terribly expensive new; maybe I'l check out Craigs list--I imagine people might want to get these out of their garage once they're done with them.

I'm picturing just filling my tiny ice compartment with Cool whip and water bottles and an ice tray--maybe two?. I really like the idea of having an ice pad at night for six hours!

I think that this will be the way to go unless I hear of something better.
 
Last edited:
How hard is it to refill and work with the Cryo cuff?
I had a Cryocuff and it was easy to work with. But you do need a place to freeze extra cups of water. First knee I used plastic cups but was all too easy to spill them everywhere when moving them from sink to freezer. So second time, I got some 300-500ml bottles and put them in the freezer. No spillage and you just pop them in the Cryo bucket. I loved it and you'd have been more than welcome to have it but I left a pair of hairtongs on top of the bucket while it warmed up a few weeks ago and it very effectively melted and sealed the lid! So now it's on a landfill somewhere!

We do have an article about icing which you might find helpful. It includes a method of creating ice packs without a freezer! Ice to control pain and swelling
 
That's nice of you Josephine; too bad about the melted top! Actually the gravity style Cryo cuffs are all over Ebay but the few pump style ones are priced almost at new. I'll keep browsing there. And I'll ask Kaiser if they loan these as I move forward. Again, they're not terribly expensive new and worth it for sure--I know that I'm going to want that ice! And now I know that ice trays are a bad idea; use the freezer space for solid containers of ice.

After reading your linked article, I see that the gravity feed has the advantage of letting you walk around the house. On the other hand, I imagine that the pump system will stay cold much longer in the cuff at night while you're sleeping, whereas I'd have to fill the gravity style cuff every few hours. Is all of this accurate?

You may notice that I tend to (over?) think about this sort of thing...I just want to get it right! And now I'm wondering if you can disconnect the pump style cuff for a moment to go walking in the house?
 
but the few pump style ones are priced almost at new
Mine was a pump type. I bought it on Ebay.com but when I got it, never gave a thought to the fact that it would be rigged for US power! UK power is much lower and so the pump never really worked properly. I ended up having to drain and fill the wrap with gravity. I was SO disappointed!
On the other hand, I imagine that the pump system will stay cold much longer in the cuff at night while you're sleeping, whereas I'd have to fill the gravity style cuff every few hours. Is all of this accurate?
Correct. As for walking around with it in place, nice idea but I found that after a few steps, it just slid to the floor anyway! Of course that might have been due to my chubby legs!
You may notice that I tend to (over?) think about this sort of thing
It has to be said that most men tend to! I am tested more in my knowledge of these things by men (and US men particularly!) than any other! But I don't mind. That's what it's all about!
 
Thanks Josephine for the link and all for the tips.

I was just researching about ways to ice and saw this thread.

Its amazing all the different techniques and things that can be used to ice/ use as ice packs including ...yes diapers !

I do like the sound of pump ice machines but will need to search what is available for the uk. only problem is my freezer is tiny. Doesn't hold much at all so new freezer or less ice cream :heehee:

....good thread I just read below

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/ice-packs-for-hip-post-op.35297/
 
Also, I opted for the motorized Cryo Cuff for $169 from Source Ortho.
YES! I was trying to remember some of the places to get the machines directly (not Amazon) so I can call and see if they have a "splitter" to use two pads at one time!
 
YES! I was trying to remember some of the places to get the machines directly (not Amazon) so I can call and see if they have a "splitter" to use two pads at one time!
With the motorized version, at least, a lot of places require a script. When I bought, Amazon didnt carry the motorized. Source Ortho doesn’t. I called them twice with questions, had to leave a message but they returned the call.
 
So in terms of sizing for the knee cuff: Is there a reason to go large even if I have a medium sized knee? I measure 17 inches around at the top of the knee, which I presume is a medium but I don't really know. And there's a used bucket with a large cuff available. That unit has an electrical plug and wire but the seller didn't know anything about a pump--it's not hers. So I'm skeptical.

Would a gravity unit have a plug?
 
@hegel if you go to Source Ortho, there is a size chart. I don’t remember my measurement but I bought a large. Hospital sent me home with a medium. Both fit. The pump is the lid and cord. (hospital sent me home with the gravity fed one...came home with the non motorized lid). No the gravity fed does not have a cord.
 
I couldn't quite find the size chart at Source Ortho, but as soon as I'm O.K.'d for surgery I'll go there. Frankly, it's more straightforward to buy new from a trusted source (and free shipping!) than take a gamble on Ebay, I think. What if the unit is broken when it arrives? (This written after a somewhat tense exchange with someone who was selling a unit for her niece on Craig's List and knew nothing about it.)
 
You might want to double check with your surgeon and/or your hospital before you spring for one, whether new or used. I was given one at the hospital, complements of Medicare, and it was my gift to take home. Motorized pump, velcro cuff, plug it in. I used two frozen 500 ml water bottles to keep the circulating water cold, and that kept my knee chilled and happy for hours. Easy to swap out melted bottles for newly frozen ones.

Good luck! I do recommend having one for first weeks' healing.
 
FYI, if you want to walk around, just unplug the motor, and you have a gravity feed cryo-cuff. The hospital gave me a gravity feed cryo-cuff for each of my surgies. I bought a motor for the second one but only used it for a couple of weeks (absolutely LOVED it, though).

I used a combination of cryo-cuff and ice packs. I had one I'd put under my knee and one I'd put on top of my knee, and they were nice and soothing. Yes, you can sleep in the cryo-cuff -- especially nice with the motorized version, because it keeps pumping cold water for a couple of hours and you don't have to lift and shake the cooler. I used 3 500 ml bottles of frozen water at a time, and I put nine bottles in the freezer -- 3 in the cooler, 3 ready to swap out, and 3 freezing. You could probably get by with six if your freezer is small. I never thought of Cool Whip containers, but they would work well, too (I don't eat Cool Whip).
 

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