Ice is the best thing to use when someone takes a fall, has swelling, or is recovering from a sports-related injury. However, one size of ice does not fit all. There are specific types of ice that work best for different recovery centers and types of injury, and this week on the blog we’re diving in to which type is best for your setting.
If you’re not familiar, cube ice is a type of ice that is produced in either diced, crescent, or square shapes. This type of ice is hard and does not melt easily. Cubed ice is excellent for ice baths, which athletes will appreciate after a competition or a long day of training. A cube ice machine may be an excellent choice for your facility if you house a lot of athletes or run many training sessions there. Ice baths require a lot of ice to fill, in fact you need a 3:1 ratio of water to ice which can end up being around 40 pounds of ice depending on the size of the tub. For this type of use, you’ll need a cubed ice machine that can produce large amounts of ice throughout the day. We recommend the Manitowoc Air Cooled systems for this type of production. You can shop one of our favorites
Flaked ice is not a great choice for ice baths, but works well when placed into a ziploc bag for swelling or injury recovery. You can typically find flaked ice at the grocery store in the vegetable display or seafood section. Flaked ice is comprised of small, thin pieces that mold and compress to the surface they’re pressed upon. This makes flaked ice a great choice for a setting like a physical activity center that works with children, where you will see a lot of falls but not a lot of ice baths. One machine that we love for flaked ice is the Manitowoc Air-Cooled Flake Ice Machine. Great for a high volume setting, this machine can produce up to 191 pounds of ice in 24 hours. You can shop this product
If you’re looking for a type of ice that melts a little more slowly but can still be used for swelling and ice packs, consider nugget ice. Nugget ice is great because it compresses to the site of a wound similarly to flake ice, but it melts slower resulting in less leakage and longer wear time. Nugget ice is not ideal for ice baths, but can certainly be used in a physical education center or rec center where bumps and bruises are common. Nugget ice is ideal because it can also be used for beverages. One machine that we love is the Scotsman Air-Cooled Nugget Style Ice Machine. You can shop this product
If you’re shopping for an ice machine for your athletic center, consider the needs of your clientele. If you work with high-level athletes or in a large training center, you might need a cubed ice machines for ice baths. If the primary use of ice will be for cuts and bruises, you might want to consider a flaked ice or nugget ice machine. Whichever machine you decide on, we’re here to help! Visit our website www.icemachines.com to shop our products and speak with a customer service agent.
