Product Spotlight

Helping Patients Keep Their Cool

A new pain management wrap delivers simultaneous compression and cooling for hours — drug and refrigeration free.

• By David Kopf
• Oct 01, 2016

For many providers, succeeding in retail sales lies in capitalizing on niches that leverage their considerable expertise. If a provider can identify a related market that lets it leverage its knowledge and access to the right products, it can cement solid relationships with that client segment.

One of those niches is sports therapy. Many of sports therapy offerings are items providers already supply, or are related to items, and are often very much in line with providers existing staff expertise. Some clearly related sports therapy “cousins” include compression garments and especially stockings; braces, supports and other orthopedic offerings; and both stock and custom orthotics.

Also, The sports therapy market lets providers upsell with much needed items, such as cold and heating packs, and pain management, which also appeal to other DME patients.

One such product is CoolXChange, a special type of two-in-one bandage/wrap from Orthozone Inc. that is designed to help provide simultaneous cooling and compression. To treat various sports injuries, The RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) method is often prescribed to reduce pain and inflammation. CoolXChange aims to advance that method by providing concentrated compression and cooling.

“CoolXChange is designed for advanced recovery for pain and inflammation by providing both cooling and compression therapy in one easy step,” says Tom Traver, president of Orthozone. “The CoolXChange Gel Bandage accelerates the common first aid treatment method of R.I.C.E by combining the cooling and compression stages for effective relief from muscle strains and pain, without requiring refrigeration.

“CoolXChange works through evaporative cooling together with the elastic compression to reduce the amount of blood flow and heat in the injured area,” he continues. “The Gel Bandage absorbs heat energy from the body and the absorbed heat is then removed by evaporation allowing for hours of targeted cool and compression therapy.”

And the approach seems to work. Victoria University conducted a study that showed CoolXChange reduced skin and deep muscle temperature by an average of 18 percent for up to two hours. CoolXChange also reduced deep muscle temperature (4 cm below surface), by an average of 11 percent after two hours, according to the research.

“The same study also highlighted lower levels of inflammation, better muscle recovery and participants being more physically ready for exercise following use of CoolXChange,” Traver added.

All told, participants using the CoolXChange wrap had a 47 percent better muscle recovery rate (measured via peak torque) versus participants with no intervention at day seven.

“CoolXChange can be used in both the acute phase of a soft tissue injury (0 to 72 hours) to minimize pain and inflammation, and also with chronic injuries and to reduce general muscle soreness,” Traver explains. “CoolXChange is ideal for first aid kits at home, schools and sport groups, in the workplace or for clinical use. The Gel Bandages are perfect for kids, adults and athletes of all levels.”

In terms of composition, the CoolXChange is pretty straightforward: the gel bandage consists of nylon, polyester and spandex with a hydrogel embedded into the fabric and leaves no mess or smell. It contains no medicines, menthols or latex. CoolXChange is self-adhesive so it can be used on any part of the body.

To apply, users simply wrap the area with the CoolXChange and the temperature of the area begins to drop within minutes. The wrap can then be worn continuously for extended periods of time. Once the user is done, he or she simply puts the CoolXChange back into its sealable pouch and adds 3 teaspoons of water, so that the CoolXChange will rehydrate so that it can be used again.

So how did such a simple, but innovative approach to relieving the pain of sports injuries get developed? It was a basic necessity, according to Traver.

“Our team developed CoolXChange out of frustration to conveniently apply ice evenly around an injured area,” he explains. “The market research highlighted consumers were sick of reaching out for bags of frozen peas and ice packs that had limited application with time, ability to contour to the injured area and lacked convenience to apply anytime, anywhere. The focus was on enhancing the user experience to get better compliance when it came to injury management. Getting customers back to doing what they love best.”

From that point forward, CoolXChange was two years in development, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Some challenges popped up along the way, but the were teachable moments that ultimately refined the product, according to Traver.

“There were certainly challenges trying to embed the gel into the compression bandage,” he recalls. “With our supplier we had to custom build a machine to get the functionality right. It was also trial and error working with our research partners on what the best evaporative set-up would be to maximize the cooling process.”

In terms of funding, CoolXChange is a cash sale product, and it’s one that Orthozone is targeting specifically for the HME provider marketplace.

“In today’s HME Dealer environment mire cash sale products are a necessity,” Traver says. “CoolXChange is an excellent cash sale product for any patient who may benefit from cold therapy. And we do not sell to mass merchants so you are not competing with a chain drug store down the street.”

To start offering Orthozone, providers can contact Orthozone in order to become an authorized dealer, or to find a distributor in their area.

CoolXChange
Orthozone Inc.
(844) 656-5500
www.orthozone.com

This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of HME Business.