What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy, in simple terms, is cold therapy, the general use of low temperatures for medicinal purposes. In its basic use, cryotherapy reduces the body’s inflammation after medical procedures or extreme exercising or training.

Treatments are administered in what’s called a cryosauna, a cylindrical tube measuring 5 to 6 feet tall that you stand in. There’s usually a platform inside the cryosauna that can be adjusted, so regardless of height your head will always be above the sauna wall exposed to the room. If you’re claustrophobic, have no fear; you’re never fully enclosed in the cryosauna.

When the therapy begins, you’ll feel a blanketing sensation as the cold air begins to wrap around your body. The air is cooled by nitrogen and has a whirlwind effect, with temperatures ranging from -166 to -220 degree. Yes, you read that right. That’s cold!

Cryotherapy is like being on the coldest glacier with the warmth of the sun beaming on your face. Because cryotherapy uses airflow to cool your body’s surface, you don’t experience the painful shock as with other cold therapies like ice baths or ice packs.

How Does Cryotherapy Work?

Cryotherapy removes toxins from muscle and skin in minutes and all but halts the body’s inflammatory response to tissue damage. The rush of super cold, crisp, almost cyclonic airflow spikes the red blood cells with oxygen and nutrients and enables enzymes.

By flushing toxins from your body’s soft tissues, cryotherapy will have you back up and doing what you enjoy quickly, with less pain and superior results. Cryotherapy also causes your body to release energizing endorphins. Due to the process of enriched blood flow through vasodilation, the pain in your joints and soft tissue seems to fade away.

What Else Is Cryotherapy Good for?

• Reduces migraine symptoms

• Numbs nerve irritation

• Helps treat mood disorders

• Reduces arthritic pain

• May help treat low-risk tumors

• May help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

• Treats atopic dermatitis and other skin conditions

As with all types of therapies or treatments, if you have any pre-existing conditions, check with your doctor before participating in anything new.