SubscribeAs all of you regular readers know: I like to tear my body up by over doing it. I know I should take it easy and spend more time on the couch but I am happy with the way things are. One of my injuries is called plantar fasciitis near the ball of the foot. This started about two years ago.
The pain has put a real damper on my running and bike riding. A combination of orthopedic inserts for my shoes, rest, yoga and ice have me running again. It is not pain free but the pain is bearable.
Ice is where ActiveWrap comes in. I tried to stick my foot in a big bowl of ice water but my foot revolted. My foot also did not go along with being placed in or on a bag of ice. I tried the ActiveWrap foot and ankle wrap with two ice packs. It is nice. Having a pack of ice strapped to your foot is no picnic but it is convenient to have the ice localized to the painful area. 
The ice packs are in removable pouches that are held to the wrap with Velcro. That means you can put them on anywhere or in the wrap which puts the ice exactly where you want it. I get the ice exactly where the pain is located on my foot. I usually do this after training. While I am icing my foot, I can feel the pain come up in my ITB that is related to the plantar fasciitis by interconnected tissue. I don’t know how it works but that is what I have been told. I tell you this because I ice my knee after I get done icing my foot. I take the wrap off my foot, adjust the ice pack, then apply it to my knee. It is not a perfect fit like the knee pack but it works.
I also have a torn up shoulder from various activities, primarily swimming. I wear the shoulder wrap after a long swim or a hard round in the weight room. The shoulder wrap is not as versatile as the foot wrap but it works fine. It is a little tough to put on alone, but you’ll figure it out. The shoulder wrap uses pocket that are sewn into the wrap so there is no adjustment to cover the top of the shoulder. The wrap works well enough and it also doubles as a knee wrap.
Mike’s Note: We interviewed the ActiveWrap crew prior to the Oakland Running Festival, with the interview available here. I’m also working on a couple of reviews related to ActiveWrap, but it will take a week or so before you’re able to read my ramblings.
