Even after stretching, a hot shower, and a massage, you might still be sore from your workout or sporting event. That is where Cryotherapy can help.
Cryotherapy is a cold treatment where you place yourself into an area that is about -200 degrees to -300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cryotherapy has become so popular and because it’s similar to icing a specific part of your body, except now you can place a cold liquid nitrogen bath over your entire body. In any event involving muscle exertion, your entire body is put under stress. This is why whole-body Cryotherapy (WBC) is so beneficial. When doing a Cryotherapy treatment, you’ll put on gloves, socks, and your undergarments, and let the cold do the work.
Does it help with pain?
Relieving pain with ice or the cold is nothing new. You might be doing Cryotherapy without even realizing it by placing an ice pack on an injury you received in the gym. The point of putting ice on a wound is to help constrict the blood vessels, which reduces blood flow and alleviates pain, swelling, and inflammation.
With whole-body Cryotherapy, you’re exposing your body to freezing temperatures for around three minutes. Your body will bathe in a mixture of liquid nitrogen or refrigerated air during this time and the cold will help relieve the pain in your muscles, joints, and tendons.
Cryotherapy can help speed up the recovery time from an injury since the cold is helping reduce swelling and inflammation to your injury or fatigued muscles. This could be important to athletes or fitness addicts who want to get back to their routine as fast as possible without compromising their health and wellbeing but rather, enhancing it!
Dr. Charbel Harb notes, “The benefits of cryotherapy are endless. Not only does the decrease in inflammation help our athletes by allowing them to perform better and recover quicker, but it also helps our clients with arthritis, psoriasis, depression, lymph inflammation, and many other factors that typically prevent someone from being his or her best self. It is powerful beyond measure and a treatment that I stand behind due to the evidence-based research as well as my own personal benefits.”
How does cryotherapy help with pain?
Research shows that part of the reason our muscles, tendons, or joints are in pain from a workout or injury is because of the swelling. That’s where Cryotherapy comes in. When you treat your injury with cold and constrict those blood vessels, you’re reducing the swelling, and in turn, it can help reduce the pain you’re feeling.
Cryotherapy can also help reduce your sensitivity to pain and can help you learn how to manage your pain a little easier, especially if you’re treating a joint or tendon injury. Plus, you’re giving your mind a few benefits. When doing WBC, you will naturally get an endorphin rush, which is known to have an analgesic effect on pain and also help with your mood.
People who suffer from chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia, migraines, or arthritis can benefit from long-term Cryotherapy. The endorphin rush that you get from treatment is known to help people who suffer from chronic pain and helps them manage it a little better, too.
Cryotherapy and Sleep Do you have sleep issues due to specific aches or pain? Cryotherapy can help. Patients who have undergone WBC report better sleep after treatment. This is important because poor sleep is a widespread secondary issue that pain sufferers have. Sleep is one way our bodies heal muscles and joints, so when we aren’t getting enough rest, our bodies aren’t getting enough time to heal correctly.
Overall benefits of Cryotherapy
In the end, Cryotherapy can help anyone who is suffering from pain. WBC is almost a ritual now with a lot of professional athletes. Players from the Indianapolis Colts, Pacers, and IndyCar racers come to Cryotherapy Indy regularly, due to the amazing results that come with it. Besides reducing your pain, Cryotherapy can help you with increased mobility, improved sleep, and better moods.
Although Cryotherapy is typically not covered under insurance, if you’re in pain and need help recovering from an injury, consider Cryotherapy and see if it can benefit you.
You can learn more about the Cryotherapy treatments we offer here.