Technology and science continuously come up with ways to improve people’s lives and some of the most convenient ones are capable of making our lives healthier and easier. One of these methods is cryotherapy that is available for general use. It is also known as cold therapy where a person enters a small closed chamber that freezes the area to extreme levels, which works to treat numerous tissue and skin conditions.
The low temperatures that treat tissue lesions have proven to have several health benefits that can be quite beneficial. Read on to learn more about the important facts regarding cryotherapy.
The History of Cryotherapy
The cryotherapy treatment dates back to the ancient Egyptian civilization. Long before cold treatment started taking over America, cold compression treatments for inflamed injuries or wounds were used by the ancient Egyptians in the 25th century BC era. During the Napoleonic era, Napoleon Bonaparte’s surgeon used cold analgesic and cooling anesthesia to treat Napoleon’s soldiers. However, the concept of it being used publically for local and general use started in Japan in the late 1970s thanks to Toshima Yamauchi, a Japanese medical doctor. Toshima invented the process we see today and the first cryotherapy chamber was built in Japan. This treatment only became highly popular in the fitness world in the early 2000s in Europe, the US, and the rest of the world over time.
The Three Stages of Cryotherapy
When you book an appointment for a cold therapy session and make your way there, the treatment will be divided into three stages. Every establishment in the US follows the same protocol, even if you’ve booked an appointment in Los Angeles. The local cryotherapy providers in LA suggest that the peak of Cryo benefits can only be reached after the three stages of cryotherapy have concluded. The purification phase, where your muscles, skin tissue, and blood vessels start to tighten to flush out all the toxins. The oxygenation phase where the blood starts to be super oxygenated, making the blood flow to every vessel, tissue, muscle, and organ to reap the benefits. The last phase is the recovery stage where the body starts deep healing after 48 hours from your session day. The effects start to improve performance, reduce pain or soreness, and increase the speed of healing skin tissues and muscles.
It Reduces Inflammation
Cold therapy can reduce inflammation levels significantly because it constricts blood vessels and blocks several nerve impulses in the inflamed area of the body. The cold temperatures can help osteoarthritis patients by reducing joint swelling which can improve the range of motion in the joints. The treatment is quite handy for enhancing the recovery time after strenuous exercises as well when the muscles get inflamed and trigger soreness the next day. Athletes and arthritis patients can benefit greatly from this treatment, making workouts much more tolerable the next day, and rehab programs a lot more effective.
It Has Different Types
Cryotherapy isn’t just limited to the small chamber that people can enter, giving the treatment a wide range of uses that can be quite beneficial. Depending on the situation, people can go for the water immersion therapy instead of the air chamber, staying in the freezing water for 10 to 15 minutes. It has similar effects and it can be stronger than the air chamber.
Different medical research and surgeries use cold therapy methods to numb body parts and as a form of anesthetic, making surgeries easier on patients who have allergic reactions to the traditional anesthesia. Ice packs used directly on inflamed areas are another form of this cold therapy as well.
It Treats Skin Conditions
People who are suffering from certain skin conditions can use this therapy to treat skin symptoms, including dry, inflamed, and itchy skin tissues. When the treatment improves antioxidant levels, the skin tissue heals over time. People with atopic dermatitis and acne can see excellent results from frequent sessions, allowing them to feel much more comfortable with minimal to no irritation or itchiness.
Whole-body cryotherapy is becoming quite popular every day, attracting fitness buffs and athletes worldwide. The idea of having ways to delay soreness and treat skin diseases is very attractive and it makes this type of therapy worth the cost. People don’t have to do it every day if it’s related to fitness and working out, but it can be beneficial to schedule a session or two occasionally. However, the health benefits and improvements in skin tissue health and moods can convince people to do it as often as they can. Whether you choose the air chamber or the water immersion technique, cold therapy will make your life better over time.
