The Game Ready Cold Therapy System delivers up to eight hours of continuous, freezing-cold temperatures through a compression pad that is wrapped around a patient’s injured body. Unfortunately, the Game Ready can cause serious skin damage, nerve damage, and even frostbite when patients become numb and fail to realize how cold their body is becoming.
What is the CoolSystems Inc. Game Ready Cold Therapy System?
The Game Ready Cold Therapy System (also known as “ice therapy” or “cryotherapy”) is a medical device manufactured by CoolSystems Inc. that is designed to supply consistent cold temperatures to injured joints. The product is designed with an ice-filled chest that the patient fills with water. The freezing water is pumped into a hose, which is attached to a compression pad that fits around an injured body part.
Game Ready is mostly prescribed by orthopedic surgeons and sports therapists to treat joint injuries in the arm, shoulder, knee, ankle, or leg. The manufacturer claims that it is more effective than an ice-pack because it stays cold for many hours at a time, which can reduce pain and swelling, “speed up workout recovery and stimulate tissue repair,” and “prevent tissue damage.”
Problems and Complications of Game Ready Cold Therapy System
The problem with the Game Ready Cold Therapy System is that patients may fail to realize when their body is getting too cold, which can lead to severe skin damage, nerve damage, and frostbite. Many people do not realize that these serious types of injuries can occur above freezing temperatures.
Game Ready uses cold compression therapy. The compression pad is designed to reduce blood-flow to an injured body part, which slows nerve signals and reduces pain. Unfortunately, the problem with desensitizing nerves and applying cold temperatures for hours at a time is that the patient may not realize when they are getting too cold. Furthermore, if pain does occur, they may blame it on their injury or pre-existing nerve damage.
Despite the risk of severe injury, Game Ready does not come with alarms or safety mechanisms that would alert a patient when the product is too cold or is used for too long. Our lawyers are concerned that it does not come with adequate warnings or instructions for safe use.
Game Ready Injuries and Side Effects
- Pain
- Skin damage
- Skin Necrosis
- Frostbite
- Nerve damage
- Tissue necrosis (death)
- Infection of necrotic tissue or skin
- Disfigurement, scarring
- Loss of limb function
- Need for additional surgery, skin grafts
- Amputation of the limb
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS)
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Chronic pain, tingling, numbness, or sensitivity
- Disability