Cryotherapy is another word for “cold therapy,” and is a treatment that exposes the body to freezing temperatures for several health reasons. Using ice-cold temperatures for the body is not a new concept as ice has been used as a treatment for muscles for decades as recovery therapy for athletes.

After an athlete would finish training or competing in a game, they would sit in a bath of ice for a little under twenty minutes to promote better muscle recovery. This has led researchers to suggest cryotherapy as an alternative to ice-baths but what exactly is cryotherapy?

What Is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy follows the concept of ice bath’s muscle-recovering benefits, however instead of ice baths, it uses a cryogenic chamber. These chambers are then filled with air chilled by nitrogen that is over 50° F colder than a normal ice bath.

That means the body is only kept in the cryotherapy chamber only two or three minutes compared to a twenty-minute ice bath. This forces blood away from the muscles and extremities. Once the body is removed from a cryotherapy chamber, then the heart needs to circulate blood back to the muscles and extremities which helps transport essential nutrients and oxygen to repair the muscles.

Forms of cryotherapy

Cryotherapy isn’t just immersing the body into a chamber. Other forms of cryotherapy have been developed from partial body cryotherapy to localized cryotherapy.

Partial body cryotherapy is only for certain parts of the body while localized cryotherapy for dermatologists to use for warts and other skin abnormalities.

How Does Cryotherapy Help Repair Your Body? 

The heart pumps faster because the heart rate is increased due to the body’s release of adrenaline hormones. Due to the low temperature, the body is forced to activate its fight-or-flight response. This increase of blood pumping into the muscles helps repair any damaged tissues. That’s because the body is trying to heal itself.

You’re essentially forcing your body to heal at a faster rate and pumping blood to capillaries in your body that may have been damaged from overuse. Cryotherapy isn’t just used for athletes after practice or competition but it can help those who are exposed to extreme hearts bring down their core temperature.

That’s when researchers realized there may be benefits for people other than just athletes, but what are the benefits of cryotherapy?

What Are The Benefits Of Cryotherapy?

The first benefit of cryotherapy, as mentioned before, is for muscle healing. It doesn’t just help with muscle healing but general pain relief as well.

 Cryotherapy is also used to reduce pain in the joints as well because of how well cold does with its anti-inflammatory properties.

When your body undergoes cryotherapy, your body is forced to produce more collagen. This collagen is a protein that helps everything from your skin to your joints. It also affects your body’s cartilage.

This cartilage helps your joints move. When cartilage is damaged, your joints will have a harder time moving which causes them pain. Your body’s fight-or-flight response is activated, forcing your body to force itself to heal.

Reduces the risk of diabetes

With its anti-inflammatory properties, cryotherapy can also help reduce the risk of diabetes, arthritis, dementia, and even depression. Inflammation, while a natural healing process for your body, can cause a range of health issues if not checked.

That’s because too much inflammation can cause serious damage to the body’s DNA, which can lead to cancer and other diseases. Inflammation is good for helping fight off infection but when the inflammation persists it can do more harm than good.

Damaged DNA doesn’t just lead to cancer but it can cause heart disease, diabetes, or stroke. Your cells develop faster when the DNA is damaged which puts you at a higher risk of cancer and other diseases.

Boosts your energy and your mood.

Inflammation can affect our brain as well. Inflammation affects everything from our muscles to our mood. Depression has been linked to inflammation as well. It’s almost as if depression is a reaction to inflammation. Anxiety is linked to inflammation as well that cryotherapy can help treat.

That’s because reducing inflammation can reduce stress in your body caused by pain. Anxiety is caused by high levels of stress.

When you step out of a cryotherapy chamber you automatically feel great with a boost to your energy and your mood. When your body releases natural adrenaline, it also releases endorphins which can help improve your mood.

Forcing your body to burn calories

Surprisingly enough, forcing your body to reheat itself may also help burn calories. You could burn hundreds of calories in a single cryotherapy session. Repeated cryotherapy sessions have been found to boost your metabolism which could help you reduce more calories.

Are There Any Risks To Cryotherapy?

Even though cryotherapy does sound like a great full-body treatment, there are some risks and side effects you should talk to the therapist about first before undergoing treatment.

Cryotherapy should only be attempted for a couple of minutes at a time as anything longer than that could increase your risk of death. Those who suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, seizures, anemia, or even claustrophobia should avoid cryotherapy.

It also isn’t good for those who have an allergy to cold or have neuropathy. Cryotherapy could worsen neuropathy. You should also not attempt cryotherapy if you’re pregnant.

Be prepared!

When it comes to cryotherapy, you have to make sure you’re taking every precaution. You also have to ensure the therapist is licensed for cryotherapy treatments and also take every necessary precaution for your safety.

Everyone’s body is different but there are still some benefits to trying cryotherapy to see if it can help you with your pain, inflammation, and recovery.

If you’re considering trying cryotherapy, then it’s important to talk to your doctor to make sure you don’t have any underlying health conditions that could be worsened by cryotherapy. 

If the risks are higher than the benefits, such as worsening nerve conditions, then it shouldn’t be attempted. That’s why it’s important to go over all of your health conditions with the therapist first so they can ensure you’re not putting yourself at risk with cryotherapy.