Vive Ice Therapy Machine Replacement Pads - Flexible Ergonomic Reusable Padding for Cold Therapy - Pain Relief System - Knee, Shoulder, Ankle, and Hip Adjustable Device (Ice Therapy Machine)

I am fussy about products of this type...If a product purports to provide any sort of health benefit, or provide some measure of pain relief or comfort, it better deliver on the promise or I'm going to send it back.I have/had shoulder surgery on the horizon so I researched the heck out of these product types... a machine of this sort is actually a requirement in the presurgery literature at the Ortho surgical center where I was scheduled.There are other, a little pricier, options with great reviews, and I will say I have not tried any of them so they may be superior in some way I'm not aware of.My target qualities were :1) Quiet operation. I don't want to rely on something for pain relief/comfort that is consistently annoying to hear.2) Reliable operation. No leaks, no fuss, no muss, does what it advertises.3) Ease of use. if it takes forever to prep and/or operate and is cumbersome then its a no go.Quick overview.Very simple programming and operation, clear tank with a solid handle that makes it easy to see how much ice is left.Ice and water levels are marked clearly inside the tank (Ice first, water second, though I reverse them as I fill the tank and you'll see why later) the included universal/shoulder pad/bladder and elastic straps are totally adequate for the coverage needed, I am a big guy (over 6 1/2 feet tall, 230+ lbs) and it was completely satisfactory.My Prep:Standard ice cubes melt very quickly in water, so my approach was to get a package of plastic picnic cups (roughly 4" tall, 3" across the top) and clear a shelf in my freezer for them. I then fill and get a dozen or so frozen, refilling afterwords, and I found I did this only once a day. (hint: running a little lukewarm water over them in the sink quickly releases those giant cubes)Pouring water in the tank after the ice is in will prematurely melt some of that ice, so I filled the tank to the ice line with water first, then put my ice in the water... generally 9-11 of my giant cubes and then take up the slack with a couple of cups of regular ice cubes. This worked exceptionally well, and I was able to get 4+ 30-minute icing sessions a day, without refilling or fussing with the tank in between sessions, and while the last session was less cold than the first it was still very sufficient **Note that your regular home ice maker will never keep up with your needs**Once the tank is full, the top attaches very easily, as does the pad/bladder.The included water hose is leak free and plenty long enough for comfortable use almost anywhere,There are only 2 settings on the unit: Pump speed / Water volume (LPM or Liters per Minute) and Time.Its worth noting that if the water is not quite as cold as you like, then using the highest pump rate speeds the heat transfer from the target area and thus improves the cooling effect.Noise. This unit does create sound at the 2 highest pump rates but is very minor when sitting right next to me on the floor. I would describe the sound as kind of a faint white noise buzz which was very easily absorbed into the background with the TV or stereo on, or during a conversation. I actually had to purposefully listen for it to identify it during first use.Cold/Cooling. If you think you can get by with standard ice packs after a surgery, maybe you will, but this is much better. I did try ice packs directly for contrast and it wasn't even a close contest. I had extensive rotator and associated shoulder tendon surgery, and in my surgeons own technical terms once he got into my shoulder, it was a "hot mess"... that's a direct quote. ( I have pictures to prove it)I am very pleased with this product, it delivers on its promise and though I rarely leave reviews I decided I wanted to leave a complete review here because health care is already nonsensically expensive and something as simple and necessary as this should be inexpensive and performant... this item is both.** edit** I have had 50+ uses so far and all elements of the unit (including pad) are in great shapeI hope this is helpful in your research!

I normally don't write reviews, but I have to tell you this little bit about this Vive Ice Therapy machine, it might affect your decision.First, I did my research, there are a lot of decent products for doing ice therapy, but for me, it's about the company and it's support for my full support of the product. This is a good product and does what it says it will do, just follow the directions and be good about the general maintenance.Support wise, they are wonderful, why, well here's the short story. I had a full knee replacement and been using this unit a day after the surgery, religiously too, if I wasn't doing the excercises or on the CPM (knee bending machine), then I had my knee up and in the wrap getting chilled.When I got the new unit, I noticed I only got two straps, but they both worked, so I didn't bother complaining or trying to get the 3rd I suppose to get, that was on me, I was about to have surgery in a couple days and didn't want to bother with it for now. So where I got into a little bit of a concern was after my 3rd or 4th week, my pad wouldn't also get cold, it was like at some point it was getting pinched, no clogs, I double checked that and it still worked, I just had to have the tubes in the right position, this had never happen before, so I though maybe the pad had gotten weaken in a spot. Note: I do try my bad to be as careful as possible with this unit, I understand if you take care of it properly, these can last many years.I called support and asked if I could purchase a new pad, they kindly asked me the situation and even mentioned I should be under warranty. To be honest, it's done wonders for me so far, so I didn't mine buying a new pad, but the very nice women from their customer support looked up my order and got me a replacement pad, plus the 3 straps I should have gotten in the beginning, which was awesome. I just have to say, that type of support is why I would got back to Vive health for additional products, it's all about the company supporting their customers.Sorry for the book, just wanted to share my experience.

I recently had a "new" knee inserted and want to better manage the seeming never-ending PT and icing regimens.So I decided to see if this machine simplifies things. It does. What I like is that it works but it's not as convenient as it easily could be, manufacturer might consider these suggestions for improvement: 1) Make hose twice as along to maximally free-up the user. 2) Include in the kit a simple pan for making ice -- because if you are using this several times each day, most people don't have ice-makers that can meet the demand. Ideally the tray would be a tiny bit smaller than the bottom of the reservoir and make a large cube that's about 2-2.5" thick. The tray would be about 4" high so as to limit spillage when putting it into home freezer. Once separated from the tray, this cube would minimize the additional daily need for ice.I recommend that users initially NOT start icing body parts at maximal flows and times. This device cools sites much better than conventional ice-holding pads or wraps and it's easy to over-do it. (IOW, you can't rely on what you feel to tell the difference.) Better to start a bit on the conservative side and work to the more aggressive than the other way around.Finally, expect a bit of condensation to occur at the hose connections while the machine is in-use. It doesn't appear to be leakage. Also, a nice aspect is that once a cycle is done, there doesn't appear to be much if any water remaining in the hose or the pad -- thus limiting any likely mess when disconnnecting. These features make it easier for the user to be his own "nurse" in terms of setting things up and running a cycle.