To most people, the thought of exposing your body to extremely cold temperatures sounds like medieval torture. Surely nobody in their right mind would put themselves through that, would they?
Actually, yes, they would. And for good reason. Recently, there has been a rise in the amount of people using cryotherapy to help speed up recovery after strenuous exercise and to treat various aches, pains, injuries, and ailments affecting the body. But what exactly is cryotherapy, how does it work, and what is cryotherapy treatment used for? Here’s a better look.
What is Cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy is a form of treatment that utilizes extremely cold temperatures to improve pain, health, and well-being. There are several forms of cryotherapy, which literally means ‘cold therapy.’ The most popular involves the patient sitting in a specially-designed cryotherapy booth for 3–5 minutes at a time.
In some forms of cryotherapy, the patient will have a probe inserted into the tissue which is located next to an affected nerve causing them pain and discomfort. This probe’s temperature then drops dramatically, which basically freezes the nerve and renders it inactive. As it is inactive, it can no longer cause pain and distress. (allegedly.. I haven’t looked into this too much.)
What is Cryotherapy Treatment Used For?
Now that you know a little bit about cryotherapy, we’re now going to look at what cryotherapy treatment is used for. A few common uses include:
Post-Workout Recovery
After athletes take part in exercise, many of them will submerge themselves in an ice bath. This in itself is a basic form of cryotherapy. As sports recovery methods have become more sophisticated over the years, nowadays more and more athletes are using these cold chamber booths.
MMA fighters for example, often utilize cryotherapy for recovery. After a tough workout where the muscles have been pushed to their limits, they’re naturally sore, damaged, and worn out. Furthermore, Cryotherapy helps to speed up muscle recovery and can also reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).
For you Bay Area locals, check out this video below Steph Curry enjoys the cryotherapy experience.
Pain Relief
Whether you ache from a tough workout or just “good, old aging”, cryotherapy is very useful for pain-relief. Think about it… when you pick up a sports injury, what’s the first thing you’re advised to do? Normally, you’re told to place an ice pack on the injury. Cryotherapy is basically like an ice pack for your entire body.
Similarly, pain caused by inflammation can be drastically reduced via cryotherapy. It helps to reduce inflammation in the body, making it a very effective pain-relieving treatment. Whether you suffer from arthritis, sore muscles, or inflammation, cryotherapy is a very effective natural treatment for pain-relief (no crummy side effects like pain medication!).
Support Weight Loss
Okay, before you get too excited, cryotherapy isn’t some radical new weight loss treatment. There is no such thing. The only real way to lose weight safely and healthily is to exercise more, watch your caloric intakes, and eat healthy. With that said, if you use cryotherapy in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle, it can help speed up weight loss.
When we’re exposed to cold temperatures, the body has to work harder to regulate its temperature. In order to do this, it has to burn off more calories. As a result, your metabolism increases. In theory, cryotherapy could help to boost the metabolism, albeit temporarily, which could support weight loss.
Does It Work?
- Skin vitality
- Anti-aging
- Improved mental health
- Mental toughness for athletes
- Treat orthopedic and degenerative diseases (1, 2)
- Sleep Quality
Some of these claims I’ve had trouble finding the science to back it up, but for the claims of muscle soreness (post-workout recovery), pain relief, and inflammation… it makes total sense.
Logically, if we have nerves that transmit thermal stimuli to our brain as a form of pain modulation (C-fibers), then cryotherapy most definitely helps with pain. The mechanism of how it works goes back to the logic behind ice: it helps pain by numbing the nervous system so you don’t notice it anymore. Plain and simple.
Conclusion: Recommend or not?
It depends. What are you using it for? Is the worth the inconvenience of driving out to the clinic to submerge yourself in the cold chamber for 5 minutes? Do you have a unique past medical history that contradicts the use, such as Raynaud’s syndrome? Feel free to contact one of our PTs if you have a question specific to you, we are always happy to help!
For Marin locals: Here is the cryotherapy clinic in Corte Madera, off Tamal Vista Rd.
Ive been to the Cryotherapy clinic in Corte Madera! And i had localized treatments there for knee sprain. In addition to healing my knee sprain with PT, heat & ice therapies combined, cryotherapy def helped with total healing process! And i didnt have to get into the chamber as they offer localized sessions 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experience!!!
hi,
i want to ask u one question that cryotherapy beneficial for arthritis?
Yes, cryotherapy (cold therapy) is beneficial for arthritis. It helps by decreasing inflammation, however it will not have a direct “healing” effect on the actual cartilage. It will help to mitigate the achy feeling so that you can walk and move with less pain. Great question!