Sports injury recovery at home:
ankle sprains and muscle strains
When sport stops all of a sudden
An ankle that rolls on a padel court, a sharp pain at the back of the thigh mid-sprint, a calf that gives way at the end of a run. In the first days, pain and swelling dictate everything else.
KOLDE delivers the Game Ready®, for cold and compression, and the Compex®, to work the muscles around an immobilised joint, to your home. You do not need to have had surgery, or a prescription, to rent.
After an ankle sprain or a muscle strain, cold eases the pain and swelling of the first days, so that weight-bearing and exercises can resume sooner. The Game Ready is used in sessions of 30 minutes for the ankle and 90 minutes for the thigh or calf, at 4 °C, as often as possible. No surgery or prescription is needed to rent, and delivery takes 24 hours.
Ankle sprain
A review of published guidelines on ankle sprain ranks cold among the treatments with enough support for the acute phase1. It is used to ease pain and swelling, so that weight-bearing and exercises can resume sooner. It is the exercise programme that then gives the ankle back its stability.
The ankle wrap covers the foot and the ankle. Sessions last 30 minutes at 4 °C, as often as possible, spread throughout the day. Compression is set to low in the first week, then medium from the second.
The guidelines are covered in detail in our article Ankle sprain: what the guidelines actually recommend.
Muscle strain: hamstrings, thigh, calf
Cold relieves the pain of the first days. A gradual return to effort is what repairs the muscle.
Sessions last 90 minutes at 4 °C, as often as possible, spread throughout the day. Compression is set to low in the first week, then medium from the second.
The Compex when a joint is immobilised
When a joint is immobilised, the muscles around it quickly lose strength. The Compex® SP 8.0, a wireless muscle stimulator, is used to strengthen them during this period, so that the return to training starts from a better base. It can be rented on its own or with the Game Ready, in the Recovery Bundle.
How the rental works
You start in the first days, when pain and swelling are at their highest. A member of the KOLDE team delivers the device within 24 hours, in Dubai and in the six other emirates, fits the wrap and runs the first session with you. A dedicated customer service team stays reachable throughout your rental.
Common questions
Do I need to have had surgery to rent?
No. The device can also be rented after a sprain or a muscle strain, with no prescription.
How long does a rental last for a sprain?
Two to three weeks for most ankles. You choose your dates.
Can I rent the Game Ready and the Compex together?
Yes, that is the Recovery Bundle, which costs less than renting both devices separately.
Where do I get ice?
A member of the KOLDE team brings a first bag. After that, a standard 2 kg bag is enough for one session, and the Careem app delivers it to your door.
Sources
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Management and treatment of ankle sprain according to clinical practice guidelines: a PRISMA systematic review. Medicine. 2022.
Ruiz-Sánchez FJ, Ruiz-Muñoz M, Martín-Martín J, Coheña-Jimenez M, Perez-Belloso AJ, Romero-Galisteo RP, González-Sánchez M.
DOI 10.1097/MD.0000000000031087 · PMID 36281183
This article is for information only. It does not replace the advice of your surgeon, doctor or physiotherapist. Always follow the recommendations of your medical team.