THERA°PEARL Sports Pack: Reusable Hot and Cold Therapy

For those of us who love to get outdoors and explore new places, train for great feats of physical endurance or race in beautiful places across the globe, it is a sad reality that our fallible bodies will, at some point, get injured and require some love and attention. It is an occupational hazard, so to speak. At these times, hot or cold therapy can really help to reduce swelling, alleviate pain and speed up recovery. Traditional methods of using frozen peas, hot water bottles and buckets of ice-cold or hot water can often be inconvenient, messy and time consuming. If only there was a way to avoid soaking the floor, defrosting your peas, searching for that hot water bottle or clearing up wet towels and puddles on the floor.....enter the new THERA°PEARL reusable hot and cold therapy Sports Pack.

What is THERA°PEARL?

THERA°PEARL is a new drug-free, non-toxic way to treat a variety of ailments including sore muscles, swelling and inflammation, arthritis, sports injuries, aches, pains, stiffness and more. Designed by a doctor who was fed up with asking their patients to reach for the frozen peas or fiddle with potentially dangerous hot water bottles full of scolding hot water, the fully reusable range of THERA°PEARL products bring a 'new degree of relief' time and time again, whenever needed. The small packs are full of small, soft pearl-like beads. This Pearl Technology is an innovative way of administering both hot and cold therapy (but not at the same time of course!). Simply put the pack in the freezer for a couple of hours, or slip it in the microwave for under a minute, and there you have the doctor-recommended 20 minutes of hot or cold treatment. 

The Sports Pack

THERA°PEARL comes in a variety of different forms, but the product I have been testing is the Sports Pack, which comes in at 19.1x11.4cm in size. This makes it ideal to put in your kit bag or take with you to races and events (as long as you can get near a freezer or microwave). Due to the nature of the Pearls, the pack conforms to the shape of your body even when its been in the freezer. This is ideal for use around your neck or over your shoulder. It also means you can wrap it around a smaller part of your body such as ankles, wrists, elbows or fingers. 

Hot or Cold?

Simply put, start with cold therapy at the immediate time of injury to reduce swelling and inflammation, and switch to heat a few days later, once swelling has reduced, to relieve pain and speed up healing by increasing blood flow. 

Benefits of Cold Therapy

• Reduces inflammation and bleeding by restricting blood flow
• Reduce pain and spasm
• Decrease metabolic rate of cells, reducing cell death and long-term damage
• Can therefore help reduce long-term recovery time if used soon enough

Benefits of Heat Therapy

• Increases circulation to the area
• Increased blood flow means more nutrients for healing and recovery
• Relaxes muscles and improves range of motion/ease of movement
• Speeds up recovery and healing

My thoughts on the THERA°PEARL Sports Pack

I have been really impressed with this new approach to injury treatment. Being a real fan of minimalism, it is the simplicity I like the most. It is one product that does two jobs, staying with you from the immediate time of injury through to complete recovery (hopefully!). No more faffing around with wet, melting ice-packs, frozen vegetables or horrid smelling 'magic' sprays. No more searching out your old hot water bottle and trying not to scold yourself filling it up. 

The product looks amazing and still intrigues me with its beautiful looking Pearl-beads that move with great fluidity inside the pack, conforming perfectly to the contours of your body, safely and effectively delivering the hot or cold therapy that your tired, injured body so needs.

A couple of other useful tips: I have also found this product an excellent companion for long-term sports injuries and niggles. I have often stuck it in the microwave to deliver soothing heat to stiff, sore joints and muscles to improve blood flow and promote healing to the area. And for those blessed months when injuries are no where to be seen, it doubles nicely as a pocket hand-warmer for short walks outdoors, or when sitting for long periods at your computer on colder days. It could even be used as a cool pack for tucking in with your lunch on hotter days I suppose?!. Sweet!!!

Score and suggested improvements:

There is a little room for improvement, as not everywhere has a microwave. I would like to see a version that can be heated in both the microwave and in boiling water to create an even more versatile treatment method. But what an amazing idea that has been well executed in a quality product. I would happily give the THERA°PEARL Sports Pack a solid 9/10. 

To find out more about the full range of products available from THERA°PEARL, visit the THERA°PEARL website.

Happy running everyone,

CavemanClarke