Get Ready for Summer With These First Aid and Sports Health Kits

With spring officially here and summer just around the corner, it’s never been a better time to stock up on your sports medicine, first aid kits, sunscreen and other protective gear. 

Whether you’re eager to hit the courts, practice your swing or get ready to tailgate outside the stadium, it’s easy enough to keep a kit in your car for any emergency. Best of all, most of these products are FSA eligible, so if you’re looking to spend the last of your FSA dollars, it’s never been easier.

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First Aid Kits

First Aid Home Kit

Price: $22.49, cvs.com

This family-size kit includes 176-pieces to treat minor to moderate injuries, including sprains, strains, cuts and scrapes, bleeding, burns and small wounds.

All-Purpose Portable First Aid Kit (160 Pieces)

Price: $26.49, cvs.com

The Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose Compact First Aid Kit comes with all the classics for minor scrapes and cuts, including Band-Aids, Neosporin, cleaning wipes, itching creams, gauze pads and cold packs. Perfect for under the pantry or stashed in your trunk, it’s just what you need for any outdoor sports or camping trips.

298-Piece All-Purpose First Aid Kit

Price: $16.35, amazon.com

Not satisfied with less than 200 pieces in your kit? This waterproof all-purpose first aid kit is just what you need if you have a large household with rambunctious kids (and adults). It comes with essentials for pain, swelling, cuts, scrapes and burns. Do note, however, there are expiration dates for the Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, certain ointments and the cleaning pads. So you’ll want to be sure to check the kit before any road trip to ensure the products are still good.

Welly Adventure Kit

Price: $29.99, cvs.com

The Welly 130-count first aid kit is great for a camper or under your sink–and if you need more bandages, ointments and tape, this is the kit for you. While not as well-rounded as some of the other packages on this list, it’s a great kit for tiny tots who might be more inclined to small scrapes while outdoors. The fun assortment of bandage patterns is much more cheerful than boring beige as well.

First Aid Accessories

Liquid Bandage

Price: $6.99-8.49, cvs.com

HSA and FSA-eligible, this liquid bandage is ideal for paper cuts, chapped and cracked fingertips, shaving nicks and hangnails. If you’re a sports enthusiast, this is a must have for anyone prone to developing calluses as well, such as gofers, tennis players, hikers and fishermen.

Finger Splint

Price: $6.79, cvs.com

In contact sports, a finger jam isn’t uncommon. When the finger ligaments are stretched or sprained (but not fractured), a finger splint can help keep you comfortable without the extra effort of taping. Finger splints come with a soft foam padding, and the aluminum outer material ensures it’s lightweight but stable.

Antibacterial Essentials

Price: $3.19, cvs.com

If you don’t necessarily need (or want) an extra-large kit to haul around, this box of essentials comes with antiseptic wipes, and a handful of sheer, waterproof and antibacterial bandages for treatment on-the-go.

Eye Injury Kit

Price: $5.99, cvs.com

Let’s face it–an injury to the eye is a serious matter. If you’ve suffered an eye injury or had recent surgery, this eye injury kit comes with five individually-wrapped sterile eye pads and a roll of paper tape. Note that this is not intended to be used on deep cuts or wounds.

Instant Cold Pain Relieving Compress

Price: $5.79, cvs.com

As someone who has fallen off the literal horse multiple times, this cold compress comes in very handy on new bruises. Cold therapy right after an impact is a must-have, and this compress just needs to be popped in the freezer for a couple of hours to chill. You’ll get about 25 minutes of use, and then it takes about 30 minutes to freeze again.

Adult Arm Sling

Price: $17.49; cvs.com

When I broke my arm during my first bad fall while horseback riding, this was the sling I grabbed when I needed to rotate on laundry day. The mesh material kept me from getting too sweaty when compared to the normal cheap fabric sling I received while at the ER, and it has some padding at the wrist. There’s also two ways to adjust the size so you can keep your shoulder, elbow and wrist aligned (or slightly elevated and tight across the chest if needed).

Amazon also has some great options if you don’t want to pick up a sling from CVS or Walmart, and can afford the time for shipping. The Think Ergo arm sling is $14.95 and has a 4.4 star rating on Amazon. Additionally, it comes in three sizes: youth, adult and XL adult.

Sport Braces

Compression sleeves can be beneficial for any sports and outdoor enthusiast, and we’ve covered some of the best compression calf sleeve and compression sock options in the past. It’s a beneficial option if you’re post-surgery or recovering from injury and muscle strain.

Arm & Elbow Braces

If you’re looking for KT Tape, arm and elbow compression sleeves, elbow straps and general elbow support, there’s a large variety of options out there. The KT tape is useful during exercise and recovery, and there’s an entire theory behind the placement, the colors and the tension when applied.

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Foot & Ankle Braces

Back when I was training for half-marathons and was putting in the mileage in each week, I was pushing speed and distance a little too fast for my body to keep up. I had unfortunately developed some severe Achilles pain. Using the compression ankle braces did help, and after recovery, I was more careful about using them.

• TechWare Pro Ankle Brace Compression Sleeve ($16.99, amazon.com)

Thigh & Knee Braces

And to finally cap off the ‘everything hurts’ roundup, by the time I was finishing up the last leg of my half-marathon days, my left knee wasn’t doing so hot. To this day, my left knee is far weaker than the right, and its stability is only half of what it used to be. By the second race I was using knee and thigh braces, and there were two I used most often.

TechWare Pro Knee Brace Support

Price: $18.99, amazon.com

While not the exact same model as the one I currently use (which is now unavailable in stores), this is a close second. The TechWare Pro Knee Brace has adjustable bi-directional steps designed to stabilize the patella–and the open patella design worked much better for me than just a simple compression sleeve on my longer runs. This particular kind of brace allows some flexibility in the bending during running or other sports, but with added stability and reduces swelling with the gel pad.

Stabilizing Compression Knee Support

Price: $24.49, cvs.com

If you’re not a fan of the velcro wraps, check out these compression knee sleeves. It still has the open patella design, but is made from a four-way stretch knit fabric and comes with anti-slip silicone gel around the thigh to help prevent slippage. 

Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.