Rent a NICE1
Delivered to your door. Rent by the week.
You've decided cold therapy is part of your recovery. Now you're sorting through options and trying to figure out whether the Cryo Cuff your hospital sent home with you — or the one you're considering ordering — is what your surgeon actually had in mind. This guide explains the difference clearly so you can make the right call.
NICE1 · 9 lbs · No ice
Iceless thermoelectric chiller. Add one cup of water. Run indefinitely.
Digital touchscreen holds temperature to ±1°C for the full session
9 lbs, 8-inch cube. Same weight full as empty. Built for bedside and travel.
Programmable active compression cycles. Adjust on/off timing by the minute.
Aircast Cryo Cuff · 3 lbs empty · Gravity-fed
Requires ice and water. Must be elevated above the treatment site to flow.
No temperature control. Cold output drops as ice melts over each fill.
6–8 hours per fill. Requires refilling and repositioning multiple times daily.
Gravity-controlled compression only. No active pump. No programmable cycling.
The Aircast Cryo Cuff has been an option for decades. It's simple and widely distributed. The NICE1 operates on a fundamentally different technology: no ice, no gravity feed, no passive compression. The differences in how they deliver therapy matter most in the days and weeks when consistent, uninterrupted cold and active compression have the greatest effect on swelling, pain, and recovery pace.
Cold and Compression: What the Research Says
The clinical case for combining cold with active compression and why both elements matter.
The therapeutic case for combining cold with compression is well established. A 2023 randomized trial confirmed that adding compression to cryotherapy accelerated swelling reduction, improved knee flexion, and produced better functional outcomes versus cold alone. A separate 2024 crossover study of five devices found that sustained, stable skin cooling correlated with greater pain relief and patient comfort compared to inconsistent temperature delivery. These findings point to the same principle: the mechanism works, and what separates good outcomes from better ones is consistency.
Dynamic cold in the 50–60°F range slows nerve pain signaling and reduces metabolic activity in the injured tissue. Intermittent compression in the 13–39 mmHg range moves lymphatic fluid out of the surgical site. When both are delivered simultaneously and consistently, the physiological effect compounds. The Cryo Cuff provides passive cold. Its compression is gravity-controlled, meaning it depends on the cooler being elevated above the joint — not a pump cycling pressure through the cuff. When the ice melts or the cooler shifts position, both effects diminish.
Therapeutic Temperature Target
50–60°F
The skin-temperature zone where pain and swelling control is maximized without frostbite risk
NICE1 holds this range consistently using a closed-loop thermoelectric chiller. No ice needed. No drift. The same temperature at hour one as at hour six. The Cryo Cuff begins each session cold and warms steadily as the ice melts, with no mechanism to hold or monitor the set point.
How Each Device Delivers Cold
Thermoelectric chilling versus gravity-fed ice water and what that gap means at home during recovery.
The NICE1 uses a closed-loop thermoelectric chiller with a digital touchscreen that holds temperature to within 1°C of the set point. You add a cup of water at the start of a session. That's it. No ice, no refills, no timing your therapy around a trip to the store. At 52°F, it delivers consistent skin cooling for as long as you run it, including overnight.
The Aircast Cryo Cuff gravity cooler uses ice water fed by elevation. You fill the cooler with ice and water, hang or position it above the joint, and cold water flows by gravity through the cuff. The cooler holds enough for roughly six to eight hours per fill. That window sounds reasonable until you account for the acute phase of recovery: most post-surgical patients need therapy around the clock in the first week, which means multiple fills per day, repositioning the cooler each time, and either waking up in the night or letting the therapy lapse. Once the ice melts, the device is no longer delivering therapeutic cold — it is delivering room-temperature water.
There is also the positioning requirement. The Cryo Cuff cooler must stay elevated above the joint for water to flow. For a patient recovering from knee replacement in the first few days after surgery, holding or hanging a cooler above the knee while lying in bed is an additional logistical burden. NICE1 sits on a nightstand. It does not need to be elevated.
Active Compression vs. Gravity Compression
The difference between a pump cycling pressure through the cuff and water flowing down by gravity.
Compression reduces post-surgical swelling by moving lymphatic fluid away from the joint. The mechanism depends on intermittent pressure: the cuff inflates, pushes fluid out of the surgical site, then releases so circulation returns. This cycling is what drives the edema-reduction effect. NICE1 delivers programmable active compression through a pneumatic pump, with on/off timing adjustable by the minute across a 13–39 mmHg pressure range. The cycle continues throughout the session regardless of how the device is positioned.
The Cryo Cuff provides what its documentation describes as focal compression through gravity. Water weight in the elevated cooler creates static pressure against the joint. This is not the same as active intermittent compression. There is no cycling. There is no pump. The pressure is constant and passive, and it changes as the water level in the cooler drops between fills. If the cooler shifts from its elevated position during sleep, the compression effect stops entirely.
For post-surgical patients whose surgeons prescribe cold and compression therapy, active programmable compression represents a meaningful clinical upgrade over gravity-controlled static pressure.
Device Specifications
A direct comparison across the specs that matter for at-home post-surgical use.
| Feature | NICE1 | Aircast Cryo Cuff |
|---|---|---|
|
Cooling Source |
Closed-loop thermoelectric chiller. No ice, no water changes. |
Gravity-fed ice water. Cooler must be elevated above the joint to flow. |
|
Temperature Control |
Digital touchscreen, ±1°C precision. Holds set point for the entire session. |
No temperature control. Cold output depends on ice quantity and melt rate; drifts upward throughout the session. |
|
Compression Type |
Active pneumatic pump. Programmable on/off cycle timing. 13–39 mmHg. |
Gravity-controlled static pressure only. No pump, no active cycling. |
|
Session Duration |
Unlimited. Runs as long as it is plugged in. No refills required. |
6–8 hours per fill. Requires refilling and repositioning multiple times per day. |
|
Overnight Use |
Designed for extended and overnight sessions. No refills or repositioning required. |
Cooler must remain elevated and filled. Overnight use requires waking to refill or letting therapy lapse. |
|
Positioning Requirement |
Sits on any flat surface. No elevation needed. |
Must be elevated above the treatment area for water to flow. Position must be maintained throughout the session. |
|
Weight (Ready to Use) |
9 lbs / 4.1 kg. Same weight full as empty. |
3 lbs empty; heavier when filled with ice and water. |
|
Daily Maintenance |
Wipe-down after session. No internal buildup from ice or hard water. |
Empty and dry after each use to prevent microbial growth. Daily ice procurement required. |
|
Ongoing Costs |
Electricity only. No consumables. |
Ongoing ice costs for the duration of the recovery protocol. |
|
Therapy Wraps |
Anatomical wraps for hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle, wrist, lumbar, and more. |
Anatomical wraps for knee, ankle, shoulder, back, and hip. |
|
Regulatory |
FDA Class II. Built and designed in USA. |
FDA Class II. |
Delivered to Your Door
Rent the NICE1 by the week. An authorized distributor in your area will contact you within 3–5 business days to schedule delivery. Your unit arrives ready to use before day one of recovery.
Rent a NICE1Where the Difference Shows Up
Three situations where temperature consistency and compression quality change actual recovery outcomes.
The First Week After Surgery
The acute phase of orthopedic recovery is when swelling and pain are most significant and when tissue is most responsive to consistent thermal management. Patients who can maintain cold and compression through the night report better sleep and lower pain levels the following morning. The NICE1 runs continuously without interruption. The Cryo Cuff requires a fill every six to eight hours under ideal conditions, which in practice means a caregiver is setting an alarm or the patient is waking in pain to refill it. Neither is a sustainable recovery environment for the first week after knee replacement, hip replacement, or shoulder repair.
Caregiver Burden
Most patients recovering from major orthopedic surgery at home rely on a spouse, family member, or home aide during the first two to four weeks. The Cryo Cuff adds a recurring daily task to that caregiver's load: procure ice, fill the cooler, elevate it correctly, check that it's still cold, repeat. Over a four-week acute recovery, that is a significant accumulation of small but disruptive requirements. The NICE1 removes the ice loop entirely. Once it's running, it requires no attention until the session ends.
Post-PT Recovery Sessions
Physical therapy sessions create controlled inflammation as part of the progressive loading process. Managing that inflammation between appointments is the patient's responsibility at home. Sessions longer than 30 minutes benefit from stable thermoelectric cooling because ice-water temperature drift against a warm post-exercise joint can pull a gravity-fed device above the therapeutic threshold before the session ends. The NICE1 holds its set temperature regardless of how long the session runs or how warm the joint is.
"For post-surgery recovery, I can't recommend NICE enough."
Dr. Tom Hackett, Orthopedic Surgeon and Partner, The Steadman Clinic
What the NICE1 Delivers
Trusted across more than 250,000 procedures. Recommended by orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine teams. Used by professional sports organizations.
Precision Temperature Control
Digital touchscreen. ±1°C accuracy. Consistent from session start to finish.
The NICE1 holds its set temperature for the duration of any session, including overnight. No ice, no drift, no refills. The same therapeutic environment at hour one as at hour six. For phase-sensitive recovery — cooler in the acute phase, moderate in later weeks — programmable temperature control is what makes that precision possible at home.
Active Programmable Compression
13–39 mmHg. Customizable on/off cycle timing. Cold and compression delivered simultaneously.
Cold and compression work through different physiological mechanisms, and delivering them together amplifies the effect of each. NICE1 allows compression cycle timing to be adjusted for the tissue's sensitivity at each phase of recovery. Sensitive post-operative tissue in week one requires different compression intervals than tissue recovering from a PT session six weeks later.
Anatomically Designed Wraps
Joint-specific wraps for knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, ankle, wrist, lumbar, and more.
Therapeutic contact requires anatomical fit. A wrap that doesn't conform to the joint leaves gaps in both cold delivery and compression distribution. NICE1 wraps are engineered for each joint's geometry, ensuring consistent surface contact throughout a session regardless of position.
Designed for Extended and Overnight Use
Compact, lightweight, and built to run through the night without caregiver intervention.
At 9 lbs and 8 inches cubed, the NICE1 fits on a nightstand. It requires no tending once it's running. Patients and their caregivers report uninterrupted sleep as one of the primary quality-of-life advantages in the first two weeks of recovery, particularly after knee replacement, shoulder surgery, and hip repair.
Validated Across 250,000+ Procedures
Used by professional sports organizations and recommended by orthopedic surgeons.
The NICE1 is trusted by professional teams across the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and international soccer, including the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Steelers, Colorado Avalanche, Manchester United, and Atlanta Hawks. Orthopedic surgeons at institutions like The Steadman Clinic specify NICE1 for their post-surgical patients as the standard of care for home cold compression therapy.
Reserve Before Your Surgery Date
The rental process takes three steps: fill out the form, schedule with your local distributor, and receive delivery. Your unit arrives ready to use.
Rent a NICE1Who Rents the NICE1
Post-surgical patients, caregivers, and anyone who wants consistent cold compression without the maintenance work.
Post-surgical patients recovering at home account for the largest share of NICE1 rentals. Knee replacement, hip replacement, and shoulder surgery patients all benefit from a device that runs overnight without requiring a caregiver to refill ice or reposition a cooler. The clinical argument for NICE1 in these cases centers on compliance: a device that requires more maintenance is a device that gets used less, and therapy that gets skipped is therapy that isn't working.
Patients who received a Cryo Cuff from their hospital and find it isn't meeting their needs mid-recovery are a meaningful segment of NICE1 renters. The Cryo Cuff is often provided as the default at discharge. Once patients are home managing their own protocol, the limitations — the ice runs, the overnight interruptions, the static compression — become apparent. NICE1 rentals can start at any point in the recovery window, not only before surgery.
Caregivers managing a family member's recovery also represent a significant share of NICE1 renters. Removing the daily ice procurement and cooler management from a caregiver's responsibilities has a direct effect on the sustainability of the recovery protocol at home, particularly over a four-to-six-week acute recovery period.
Questions to Ask Your Surgeon
Before scheduling your rental, bring these questions to your pre-operative appointment.
Ask your surgical team whether NICE1 is appropriate for your specific procedure and whether you should begin use before your surgery date to reduce pre-operative inflammation. Ask about the recommended temperature range and session duration for your acute phase. Ask whether your post-op protocol calls for overnight use. Specific settings and protocol recommendations should always come from your care team — they know your surgical approach, your tissue condition, and your recovery targets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about NICE1 rental, use, and how it compares to gravity-fed ice systems.
My hospital gave me a AirCast Cryo Cuff. Can I switch to NICE1 mid-recovery?
Yes. NICE1 rentals are available at any point in the recovery window, not only pre-surgery. If you find the Cryo Cuff isn't holding temperature long enough, requires more maintenance than you can manage, or isn't providing the overnight coverage your protocol calls for, you can arrange a NICE1 rental at getnice.com.
How does an iceless device stay cold for hours?
The NICE1 uses a thermoelectric core, the same technology class used in precision lab cooling equipment. It actively removes heat from the water circulating through the wrap rather than relying on a melting ice supply. As long as the unit is plugged in and running, the temperature holds. Sessions running four, six, or eight hours maintain the same skin-surface temperature throughout.
Can I use the NICE1 overnight?
Yes. The NICE1 is specifically designed for extended and overnight sessions. There is no refill required and no monitoring needed during use. Whether overnight therapy is appropriate for your situation and how it should be configured depends on your procedure and your care team's protocol. Ask your surgeon.
Which joint wraps are available with a rental?
NICE1 offers anatomical therapy wraps for the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, ankle, wrist, hand, spine, lumbar, and amputee applications. Your rental includes the wrap appropriate for your procedure. Contact the NICE1 team to confirm wrap availability for your specific joint.
How far in advance do I need to schedule my rental?
The process moves quickly: fill out the rental form, and an authorized distributor in your area will contact you within 3–5 business days to finalize delivery details. Arranging your rental at least seven days before your surgery date gives the most time to ensure your unit arrives before day one of recovery.
Is the NICE1 safer than ice for post-surgical use?
When skin temperature drops below 50°F, blood vessel constriction can reduce oxygen delivery to healing tissue and, around sensitive nerves like the peroneal at the knee or the ulnar at the elbow, create a risk of cold-induced injury. NICE1's therapeutic range of 45–55°F is designed to stay within the zone where inflammation reduction occurs without restricting the circulation that healing tissue requires. Uncontrolled ice-water systems have no mechanism to prevent overcooling. Your care team will provide specific protocol guidance for your procedure.
What does renting cost?
Rental pricing is set by authorized distributors and varies by region and rental duration. For most post-surgical patients whose primary need is concentrated in the first four to eight weeks of recovery, renting is the more cost-effective option compared to purchasing outright. When you request a NICE1 rental through getnice.com you will be connected with your local distributor who can discuss their rental pricing.
Clinical References
Peer-reviewed research supporting the use of combined cold and compression therapy in orthopedic recovery.
1. Randomized controlled trial of compressive cryotherapy versus standard cryotherapy after total knee arthroplasty: pain, swelling, range of motion and functional recovery. PMC10900683
2. A randomized crossover trial of five cryocompression devices' ability to reduce skin temperature of the knee. PMC10790989
3. Washington L&I Technology Assessment. Game Ready Injury Treatment System Review. 2020.
Rent a NICE1
Trusted across more than 250,000 procedures. Recommended by orthopedic surgeons. Delivered to your door, ready for day one.
Rent a NICE1This guide is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Recovery timelines and protocols vary by procedure type, surgical approach, and individual patient factors. Always follow the specific post-operative instructions provided by your surgical care team.