How to use a cold compress or ice pack | St John Ambulance

Cooling an injury like a sprain or bruise can help to reduce the swelling and pain. There are two types of compress: ice packs, and cold pads, ... Home Getadvice Firstaidadvice Howto... Howtouseacoldcompress Howtouseacoldcompressoricepack Coolinganinjurylikeasprainorbruisecanhelptoreducetheswellingandpain.Findouthowtousetwotypesofcoldcompress. Alsointhissection Howtouseacoldcompress Howtoapplyadressing Howtobandageahand HowtodoCPRonababy(underoneyearold) HowtodoCPRonachild HowtodoCPRonanadult Howtodoelbowandkneebandages Howtodoababyprimarysurvey Howtodotheprimarysurvey Howtodothesecondarysurvey Howtohandledifficultfirstaidsituations Howtomakeanarmsling Howtomakeanelevationsling Howtomanageafire Howtomanageatrafficaccident Howtoputababyintherecoveryposition Howtoputachildintherecoveryposition Howtoputanadultintherecoveryposition Howtoputonabandage Howtouseadefibrillator Howtouseaplaster HowtodoCPRonachild Emergencyadvice Coldcompress: Coldpad Soakflannelincoldwater,wringout,andfold. Icepack Useabagoficeorfrozenvegetableswrappedinadrycloth. Holdagainstinjury. Cooltheinjuryfornomorethan10minutes.   Whatisacoldcompress? Coolinganinjurylikeasprainorbruisecanhelptoreducetheswellingandpain.Therearetwotypesofcompress:icepacks,andcoldpads,whichcanbemadefromdampeningaclothwithcoldwater. Whattodo Coldpad Soakacleanclothorflannelincoldwater.Thenwringitoutlightlyandfoldintoapad. Holditfirmlyagainsttheinjuredarea Re-soaktheclotheverycoupleofminutestokeepitcool. Donotcooltheinjuryformorethan20minutes Icepack Useapackoffrozenvegetablesorpartlyfillaplasticbagusingsmallicecubesorcrushedice.Wrapthebaginadrycloth. Holdthepackontheinjuryandtopupwithicetokeepitcool. Donotcooltheinjuryformorethan20minutes Share Facebook Twitter ClinicallyreviewedbyDrLynnThomas,MStJ,BSc,MBBS,MA,FRCP Pagereviewdate:March2021 Moreinformationaboutourclinicalexpertise Browseourfirstaidproducts: Firstaidicepacksandheatingpads Shopnow   Relatedfirstaidadvice Howtoputonabandage Bandagescanbeusedtosupportinjuredjoints,securedressingsandcontrolbleeding. FindOutMore Bruises Bruisescanbepainfulandtender.Findoutwhatcausesbruisingandwhattodo. FindOutMore Howtoapplyadressing Whenyouhaveawound,youshouldalwayscoveritwithadressingasthiscanhelptopreventinfection.Findoutwhattodo. FindOutMore Youmightalsobeinterestedin... Defibrillatorsaguideforfirsttimebuyers Freefirstaidposterdownload:fivewaystosavealife Helpsavelives We'reworkingtoputmorelifesaversinyourcommunity.Weneedyourhelp.Together,wecansavemoreliveswithfirstaid. Donatenow Closethiswindow or Gotobasket Youmightalsobeinterestedin ${product.title} Close Logintoyouraccount Close Thereisanerrorwithyourdetails.Eitheryouremailaddressorpasswordisnotrecognised. Ifyouhadanaccountonourpreviouswebsite,youwillneedtoregisteryourdetailsagain.Pleaseusethesameemailaddressyouusedpreviously. Hi${email},yousuccessfullysignedin! Closingin${countDownSeconds}seconds. Youcannow proceedtothecheckout. Username ${errors.first("email")} Password ${errors.first("password")} Login Forgottenpassword? Close Don'thaveanaccount? Registerhere AreyouaNationalorKeyAccountcustomer?Loginatourmajoraccountsportal. We'vesentyouanemailonhowtore-setyourpassword.Pleasefollowtheinstructions. Closingin${countDownSeconds}seconds. ${error} Enteryouremailaddressbelowandwewillsendyouinstructionsonhowtocreateanewpassword. Emailaddress ${errors.first('email')} Sendemail