What Are Cold Packs Used for?

The term "cold pack" includes a range of products that concentrate moderate to intense cold into a small space. Health care supply companies make frozen gel packs, but a bag of frozen peas or a plastic bag of ice typically accomplishes the same goal. Cold packs serve the same purpose when applied to live tissue: control blood flow. Cold packs also preserve the freshness of foods and safety of medical accessories during transit.

Reduce Traumatic Injury

• Your body naturally infuses traumatized tissue with blood to promote healing. Unfortunately, this infusion also causes swelling and pain. Applying a cold pack the injury, such as a black eye, a sprained ankle and head trauma, forces the blood away from the damaged tissue. As the blood retreats from the cold, the swelling goes down and the pain decreases.

Promote Healing

• Applying cold packs alternatively with heating pads promotes cell repair. Cold packs push blood away from the injured tissue while heat draws it back again. Regular alternations of hot and cold force circulation, which promotes healing. Musculoskeletal injuries resulting from overuse, such as a damaged rotator cuff or a ligament strain, benefit from alternative applications of hot and cold, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Neomusculosketetal and Skin Diseases.

Reduce External Bleeding

• Prompt application of a cold pack can reduce external bleeding. Applying a cold pack firmly over the dressing of a bleeding wound can reduce the amount of blood lost by discouraging blood flow until further assistance arrives. Just like traumatic injuries, the cold pack makes blood retreat from the injured tissue.

Food Preservative

• Placing a cold pack in someone's lunch box preserves perishable items and keeps food appetizing. The cooling pack is typically a solid reusable container that doesn't leak like a bag of ice. You can use cooling packs to slow the bacteria growth on the meat for a few hours, or to simply keep fruits and vegetables cold.

Medical Preservative

• Packing bags of ice around an encased severed limb increases the chances of re-attachment at the hospital. Cold packs slow the decay of tissue and the growth of bacteria. While you should never apply a severed body part directly to a cold pack, surrounding a container-protected item with cold packs can make the difference between an repairable severed limb and an inoperable one.