Aircast Cryo/Cuff Cold Therapy: Back/Hip/Rib Cryo/Cuff, One Size Fits Most

Worked great after my wifes hip repalcemnt

used with the cryo cuff cooler for my back. Instant relief from pain. Exchanges the water quickly. Long lasting chill

I have the motorized version of the Cryo/Cuff which was originally purchased with a knee cuff - it worked exceptionally well to minimize pain and swelling after a couple of arthroscopic meniscus repairs. Just recently twisted my back and the pain was excruciating so I ordered the back cuff yesterday and it arrived a couple of hours ago. Now I can walk because the pain is almost nonexistent, starting physical therapy tomorrow. Looking forward to finally getting a good nights sleep. If you have more than a 42” waist it won’t fit around you, I believe you can order a Velcro extension piece.

BRIEF SUMMARY: *** the Aircast cryo-cuff system is good because it conforms better to body parts like the shoulder, but bad because it doesn’t provide very good cooling and it doesn’t last very long. Slightly improved design could fix these problems.*** Using the Aircast CryoCath system for team sports, where you have two or three or more Aircast buckets and cuffs, would work a lot better than it does for an individual consumer.***** DETAILS:*** I have used the Aircast cryo-cuff with both shoulder and hip wraps/cuffs for more than five years. For sports injury and low back pain I am considering buying the knee cuff as well, so obviously I like it some.*** However, I may only purchase the knee cuff because I already have the rest of the Aircast system. I.e. I am “locked in“. If I were starting from scratch I would probably not purchase the Aircast cryo-cuff system. Instead I might probably purchase an ice based system. In fact I already have an ice based vest that I prefer, and may in fact replace my lower back and shoulder air cuffs by other devices.*** I am posting this review not to disrespect Aircast, but to help other consumers, and possibly to encourage Aircast to improve the design. I am an engineer and an inventor with more than 100 patents, and I cannot help but try to improve things.*** First, what Aircast does well: the “cuffs“ conform more to your body than competing devices, whether ice vest or gel pads.*** But now for the problems:** (1) the AirCast does not get very cold, and it does not last very long. Obviously, the coldest that the water in the cup can be is slightly above 32°F/0°C, warmer than melting point of ice. Product literature says that it should last 6 to 8 hours, but in my experience it only lasts less than an hour. This is for an indoor ambient temperature of 68°F. It warms up even quicker outdoors in the summer.** Why? It’s just science: The heat of fusion of water, i.e. the heat absorbed by melting ice to water, is 334 J/g. The specific heat of water is 4.186 J/g, so raising the temperature from 0°C/32°F to body temperature is 154 J/g. I.e. melting an ice pack and raising it to to body temperature provides more than 2X the cooling than a cold water based system like the cryo-cuff can.** Aircast could improve this by providing a way that a frozen ice pack could be strapped to the cuff filled with cold water. The water to conform to body shape, the ice pack to provide extra cooling. Also possibly by providing better insulation on the cuffs, to reduce it warming up from the outside air, so that it absorbs heat only mostly from the body.** Note that the ice in the Aircast water bucket does not directly contribute to the cooling effect, except by keeping the water cold. Since liquid water runs into the cuff, the heat absorbed by melting does not apply. I suppose that Aircast could improve this by recirculating the water in the cuff through the ice in the bucket. I started off thinking that a pump motor would be overkill, but then I realized they could do it via a hand pump and it would not be unreasonable.*** (2) refreshing the cold water in the cuff doesn’t work very well. You pretty much have to drain the cold water from the cuff back into the bucket, and then wait for the water to get cold enough to refill the cuff.** I have tried filling the bucket With water to get cold while the cuff is full with water that is absorbing heat, and then draining the cuff into a separate bucket or to discard, but this doesn’t work well unless you like leaks. Aircast could improve this by arranging so that the bucket drain only works when the hose is attached, or when a button is pressed, like on a cooler.*** CONCLUSION: the Aircast cryo-cuff system is good because it conforms better to body parts like the shoulder, but bad because it doesn’t provide very good cooling and it doesn’t last very long. Slightly improved design could fix these problems.

I have had multiple surgeries in the past few years and these products are a lifesaver! I had them in use daily until the spring. I dried them thoroughly and kept them in an area with plenty of circulation before putting them back in the box.I took this one out today having not needed it since August and it's covered with mold!There isn't any way to truly dry it out.

Worked with the tank I already have.

This is an attachment to the main product, the Cryo-cuff cooler, which circulates cold water through the cuff and is used for areas that are swollen and/or in pain. I absolutely love it and am so glad I got it.

I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and I overheat VERY easily thanks to hypohidrosis (I don’t sweat). I can’t cool my body down naturally. When I know I’m going to be outside for a while on a very hot day I wear this under my shirt on my belly. It’s amazing the difference it makes! It obviously also works great as its intended purpose too. I have raynauds so icing my injuries is hard. Cryocuffs don’t trigger my raynauds for some reason. I have had 5 reconstructive surgeries and I used cryocuffs after each one. The pain relief is fantastic! I highly recommend this product!