Moji Cold Compression Wraps

I’m introducing today a new colaborator of TRS. I’m sure many of you already know Devon Crosby-Helms‘ ultrarunning background, so I’ll just point out a couple of her winner performances of this past year: the Gore-Tex TransRockies Run and the JFK 50. She took the job of reviewing a couple of products provided by Moji, the icing products company. Keep reading her notes to learn from these products. Oh, and don’t miss Devon on her ultrarunning blog and fast foodie website!

Aches, pains, injuries. They are a part of running and training, for most. For the most part, knock on wood, I have not had any major injuries in my running career. Part of the reason that I think that is the case is because I get consistent bodywork and because I take ice baths. Lots and lots of ice baths. I have learned to love plunging myself into a freezing body after a hard workout or race and stay warm with the thought of all the benefit I am getting from the loathed activity. A lot of people cannot stand the thought of an ice bath or simply choose to not utilize the option. I can remember back to my college days when after practice (basketball) the trainers would give me the option to soak in the cold tub or have ice bags plastic wrapped around my lower back and knees (at the same time), I would 95% of the time take the latter option. I would waddle off all wrapped up and find a comfy spot on the dorm room floor to do my icing. The plastic bags/plastic wrap provided a combination of cold and compression that really addressed the inflammation in my knees and back and helped keep me playing and training. I always thought, as the bags leaked or the plastic wrapped folded up on itself as I tried to walk, “there has to be a better way!” and alas, there is finally!

Moji, started in 2007, makes cold compression technology which seeks to provide the healing combination of cold and compression that the ice bags and plastic wrap of former years provided. When it comes to aches, pains and injuries, icing and compression are half of the best healing combination (remember R.I.C.E.?). Though I am not currently suffering from any injuries that require multiple icings per day, I was still keen to try out Moji Back and Moji Knee. The way I thought about it was: mobile ice bath, score!!! I would much rather get my ice on while sitting on a couch than shivering in my bath tub.

Here’s what Moji says about its product:

Moji products are designed to be more effective, easy to use, and comfortable than common icing practices through its patent-pending two-piece construction, which incorporates a Moji Cold Cell and Moji Compression Wrap.  Every Moji Cold Cell is uniquely designed for each Moji product, beginning with Moji Knee and Moji Back, and will continue as we expand our product line with Moji Shoulder and Universal Leg in the Spring of 2010.

In my opinion Moji is working towards developing a great line of products. The two piece construction works really well. The Moji Compression Wrap really is designed to provide superior compression. The back compression wrap fits snug and secure, but comfortably. I can walk around with the wrap on and not be irritated. The Moji Knee wrap is definitely tight and provides excellent compression. It was a bit confusing the first time I put it on and I actually needed to have someone help me sort out where each stretching tab attached and secure it. But once it was on, it provided excellent compression without restriction. The Moji Compression Wraps alone get my thumbs up.

The Moji Cold Cells are really high tech looking. You are suppose to keep them in a plastic zippered case in the freezer to protect the technology. The cells are designed to be soft and pliable against the skin, yet provide acceptable icing. When you take one of the cells out of the freezer, the first thing you notice is that despite being quite cold, the cells are still soft and flexible. One of my favorite features thus far is that even as the cells warm up from contact with the body they do not become damp. I have worn a cell until it was practically body temperature and not gotten a single bit of moisture on my skin. The cells velcro easily into the compression wraps and stay in place.

The combination of cold cells and compression technology in the Moji products, as I said, is a huge part of the battle against aches, pains and injuries. I really think Moji is on to something, but I also think that there is still work to be done. While the cold cells provide acceptable icing, they felt far less cold than a bag of ice would. I found that I had to freeze the cells for a very very long time (weeks) in order to provide a truly cold feel upon application, especially with the Moji Knee. I felt in the Moji knee that the compression was superior and the icing left something to be desired. And because it provides less cold than a bag of ice or peas would, it makes the higher price point a bit more difficult to swallow: $89 for the Moji Knee and $129 for the Moji Back. If I am going to pay that much money for cold compression technology than it should far and away provide more superior cold and compression than a bag of ice and ace bandage, but currently it doesn’t. And because the products only work on specific parts of the body (Knee only, Back only) it makes each product less flexible than a bag of ice.

I liked the Moji products. I look forward to seeing their Universal Leg wrap come on the market. Am I to the point where I will put it on my “must have” list, no, not yet. If the price point is a non-issue for you or the negatives of traditional icing bother you (wet, leaks, lack of even compression etc), Moji is definitely a worthwhile investment. While I won’t be giving up my ice baths anytime soon, my Moji products will continue to be utilized for my flexbile cold compression needs.

More information about Moji can be found at http://www.gomoji.com.