A cold compress made of lumps of ice wrapped in a cloth or put in a special bag and held against an injured part of the body to reduce pain or swelling.
A flexible, watertight bag with a sealable opening large enough to permit ice cubes or chipped ice to be added. It is used in any condition requiring local application of cold. In an emergency any sturdy, flexible plastic bag can be used, sealing the open end with a knot. A simple ice pack can be made at home by mixing 3 cups of water and 1 cup of rubbing alcohol in a resealable plastic bag and placing the sealed mixture in the freezer for 8 to 12 hours. The solution will not freeze but will attain a gel like consistency that molds to the body part on which it is used. Alternately, a bag of frozen peas may be used as a conforming ice bag. The usual application time for an ice bag is alternating 10 min on, 20 min off.