Elasto-Gel SWT111LXL Shoulder Sleeve L/XL 17"x24" SW9005, Blue

Customer Reviews

A severely flawed designI purchased this for use in treating bursitis and tendonitis of the tricep. Much of the discomfort is at the top of the arm where the it meets the shoulder, so I wanted to be able to cool as much of that area as possible. The photo and description seemed like exactly what I needed. Unfortunately, the item has what I consider a serious design flaw that makes it far less effective. The entire item seems to be gel loaded with a kind of soft foam fabric over it. The appearance is rather like half of a set of sport shoulder pads. There is a chest strap to hold it against your torso and a strap that wraps around the arm. This fastening system is the problem. The gel-filled product is rather weighty and flexible. As a result, it easily slides down your body with the slightest movement. The chest strap keeps the part on your torso close, but the arm strap cannot prevent the weight of the gel-filled shoulder pads from pulling away from your neck and shoulder to bunch up down your arm. The attached photo illustrates the problem. The problem gets more pronounced the more you move and as the gel becomes warmer and less firm. The product needs another fastening strap to keep it stable. As it is, it provides more annoyance than benefit. I am returning it and selecting a different product. 2Great quality product used by professional physical therapistsFantastic Gel Pack works like it is supposed to. Very well made and durable.I bought this gel pack because is the same one my physical therapist uses. He actually had the same pad for 10 years. So this brand is professional grade.He taught me how to properly use cold packs. For the individuals complaining about the pad not getting cold enough or the elasto-gel not lasting cold for too long, here is how cold/heat therapy works.First cold therapy doesn't mean cold as ice, or burn your skin. It is not supposed to be that cold. it supposed to cool down your muscles and reduce/avoid inflammation after strenuous workout or physical therapy. You should be able to apply it directly to the skin and feel the cooling effect for 10 to 20 minutes max. At no point during this cold therapy, you are supposed to feel like it is too much cold, or it is burning you, or that you can't take it any more.Again, hot/cold therapies are supposed to last 10 to 20 min per body section (knee, shoulder, etc) and be cold enough to avoid/reduce inflammation, not to burn or freeze muscle/skin tissue (causing more problems than fixing them).With these in mind, the elasto-gel is one of the best cold/heat therapy pads out there and works wonderfully. 5Now that it fits and stays in place . . . . .First me: 5'6", 170 pounds, 41" chest, 13.5" bicep. Called manufacturer who said the correct size for me is the "L/XL". Manufacturer also said to use over a tee shirt since outer cover is not removable for cleaning. Intent is to use heat only for rotator cuff repair therapy. Put it on my shoulder. Adjusted the chest strap. Gave up on the sleeve strap . . . . it is placed to low on the sleeve to be effective. Overall the fit was too loose and slid off. BTW one of the chest strap buckles fell off because poor stitching of the buckle webbing to sleeve material.Out comes the seam ripper, scissors and sewing machine. Repositioned the chest strap higher up so it wrapped as the strap on the model. Also used non elastic webbing. Cut the sleeve strap off . . . the sleeve section fits snuggly on my 14.5" bicep. Removed the outer chest elastic strap and sewed the lower chest section shut.Conclusion: The "L/XL" was too big for me suggesting a 'Medium" size should be considered by the manufacturer. The outer cover has sufficient stretch and an elastic chest strap allows too much stretch overall. One out of five strap attachments failed right out of the box because of inadequate stitching.Performance: Once made to fit me it does as well as the more costly heating pads used during PT. 3Item does not match pictureI ordered this shoulder sleeve after using the same product during physical therapy on my shoulder. I even took a picture while using it at therapy to assure I ordered the same model and matched it with the picture on Amazon. The product I received has a chest strap that is only 1 inch wide and is not even close to being strong enough to hold the weight of the shoulder sleeve in place. The picture on Amazon is the same one as on the box the sleeve came in, which both show a chest strap that appears to be at least 2 inches wide. The Elasto-Gel logo measures 1 3/4 inches wide and the picture shows a chest strap wider than the logo. It also states you can exercise during therapy, implying it will stay on your shoulder. Amazon states this is a non-returnable item or I would definitely return as it is being misrepresented. 1I like it because it covers a very large areaI like it because it covers a very large area, and I'm 6'3" and 235 lbs...I've got a lot of shoulder to cover. I agree with some reviews that the chest strap could be a little better positioned and the material bunches a little bit right at my arm pit, but there's a ton of gel material so it really doesn't impact performance. The only drawback I have is that it doesn't stay really cold for quite as long as I want. I get almost 10 minutes of really cold therapy before it starts to warm up noticeably. It's still cold for another 5-10 minutes, but not quite as cold as I'd like. Minor drawback to an otherwise very good product. 4I am SO GLAD I didn't let those reviews sway my decisionThere are quite a few negative reviews posted about this ice pack so I was hesitant to purchase. I am SO GLAD I didn't let those reviews sway my decision. This thing is amazing and stays cold. Both of my boys are pitchers and they wear it for 30 minutes after a game. They love it because it covers the entire shoulder and their elbows. We used to use multiple ice packs just to cover the areas they needed relief. It fits them really well too because of the adjustable straps. The directions say to put it in a large ziplock bag before freezing. Maybe this is the key to getting it really cold. It works great for us! 5Not EffectiveSadly, this product doesn't hold its temperature for very long and as such isn't of much therapeutic value. It is pliable and makes good skin contact but at best works for 10-12m. It seems to conduct heat so poorly that the outer portions can remain cool while the contact portions are almost at body temperature. Other similar products with gel inserts are much better at conducting away heat from the contact point and seem to have better phase-change mechanics allowing them to remain effective for longer periods of time. 3My shoulder is aliveI first experienced this brand/model of shoulder sleeve at my physical therapist and was so happy to finally find something like this that wasn't a cheaply made, poor excuse for pain relief. I only use it cold from my freezer (doesn't take as much room as you would think) and my shoulder pain that was unbelievable before is very manageable now. Its like I took an injection for the pain. 10 minutes every few days and my left shoulder is useful again. 5That old, cold shoulderThis thing is COLD! I have a partially torn rotator cuff and I am a strong believer in icing anything that hurts. I told my physically therapist I was addicted to ice. This gel sleeve is much colder than an ice pack, so it will stay colder longer, with no sweating bag. The only weak points I have for it are it is hard to keep up on my shoulder and the strap going across the chest pulls it forward a bit. I would actually give it 4-1/2 stars if Amazon allowed it. It does work better than any product I have used, especially for shoulders. 5Indispensable for Shoulder InjuriesOh, man! What a difference this thing made for a shoulder recovering from dislocation and surgery. It wrapped all around the shoulder took away the awful ache--especially in the early weeks. And it's kind of soft. Light years better than a bag of ice or frozen peas. 5

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Elasto-Gel

Elasto-Gel SWT111LXL Shoulder Sleeve L/XL 17"x24" SW9005, Blue

Elasto-Gel SWT111LXL Shoulder Sleeve L/XL 17"x24" SW9005, Blue

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