What is Cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy can be any type of cold therapy that exposes the body to very cold temperatures. Cryotherapy can include using cold ice packs, submerging part of your body in an ice bath, or using a cryosauna or cryotherpy chamber. Cryotherapy can be local to a certain area of the body, or it can include the whole body. Cryosaunas include freezing temperatures from the neck down while cryotherapy chambers are like walk in freezers. They include the entire body, and I’ve read they can be very intense. Thus far, I’ve tried a cryosauna that includes treatment from the neck down, and I plan to stick with that for now.
Cryotherapy produces a cold shock to the body. It tricks your brain into thinking that you are at risk of freezing. So, the brain initiates a response to protect the body. Endorphins and norepinephrine flood the bloodstream. Endorphins relieve pain and produce a euphoric type feeling. Norepinephrine directs more blood to be sent to the core. Proteins called cytokines are manipulated in a way to reduce inflammation all over the body. Muscles contract to warm the body, which can boost your metabolic rate and activate your genetic antioxidant pathways. So, your body can experience a lot of positive changes in as little as three minutes.
What does Cryotherapy do?
Chronic inflammation has been linked to a large number of diseases. Cryotherapy works to reduce inflammation and improve healing rates. It can potentially be used to treat muscle spasms, joint pain, injuries, swelling, tissue damage, and more. Celebrities, professional athletes, runners, cross fitters, and chronic pain patients are just some of the people using this treatment now that it is more mainstream and available to the general public.
How does it work?
A cryosauna uses nitrogen gas to drop the temperature to a range of -170 degrees to -202 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, you read that correctly! It’s crazy cold.
What is the process?
I remove my clothes and leave on my bra and underwear. I put on a robe or wrap and warm socks and water shoes. I wear these sweet shoes and socks shown below. Shoes and socks are required. Ladies aren’t required to wear undergarments, but I choose to do so. Men must wear underwear or some type of covering.
The technician opens the door to the cryosauna, and some nitrogen oxide gas come out. It looks a little futuristic. Once in the cryosauna, the wrap or robe is removed and handed to the technician. Then, the technician provides warm gloves. Gloves aren’t required, but they are highly recommended. There are more risks not wearing them. Once it begins, clients are allowed to stay in up to three minutes maximum, but clients may get out at anytime prior to that. Clients are asked to do quarter turns during the three minute session. Clients may stand there or march. I like to march in place as I do my quarter turns. Benefits can still be achieved by doing less than three minutes.
How does it feel?
It is extremely cold, and yes, it does feel very cold. Being a three-sport high school athlete, I was subjected to many ice baths for multiple injuries. In my opinion, this type of cryotherapy is much more comfortable and faster and seems to achieve superior results. Remember it is only three minutes or less. The first time you do anything new, there will be some nervousness, but I definitely think the benefits of this outweigh the negatives.
My recommendations:
- Meet with or call and speak to the owner of the place you decide to go prior to doing this. Make sure you feel they are knowledgeable and take proper safety precautions. Talk about why you want to try this therapy and if they feel it will help you.
- Make sure you don’t have any contraindications that would limit or prevent you from doing this or being safe. I’m not a doctor, so remember to do this at your own risk. Research it yourself.
- Once you are in the cryosauna, you will naturally start to tense up from the extreme cold. Try to relax your body, breathe, roll your shoulders back and keep calm. This will help the tension.
- Talk to the technician the whole time to distract yourself from the cold. The technician should be right beside you the entire time and not leave the room.
Potential benefits I’ve seen from it:
- Reduced joint and muscle pain, typically for me for 4-6 hours after an appointment
- Improved sleep (even though I still struggle with it)
- Reduced inflammation
- Improved mood and energy
- Improved range of motion in my joints (I literally walk out the door from my session with less pain and improved range of motion in my knees; it is short-lived though.)
More details on my experiences:
The first visit definitely shocked my body. I was so proud of myself for making it the full three minutes. I felt an adrenaline rush. About 2 to 3 hours later I crashed. I felt like I’d run a marathon. I was exhausted. I don’t think my initial response is a typical one. I have systemic inflammation and I’m chronically ill. It was probably like a giant dose of medicine for my body. The more sessions I’ve done, the less I exhausted I feel afterwards.
Reactions:
For those of you who know me well, I’m a no pain, no gain kind of gal. I’m always willing to pay the price for success or for anything that may help me feel better. So, I did Level 1 (approximately -168 degrees Fahrenheit) several times. Then, I decided to go to Level 2 (approximately -184 degrees Fahrenheit). Is there an even colder level? Absolutely. Did I have to try it? Of course, I did. I cruised along at Level 3 for several visits. It is approximately -202 degrees Fahrenheit. No big deal, right? It did feel quite a bit colder than Level 1.
So, on approximately my 10th visit, the nitrogen tank had just been filled. I’ve now learned that can make the tank extra cold, and I did Level 3. My body had a reaction, which we believe was cold urticaria (literally an allergy from the cold). My leg felt like it was burning while in there, but I pushed through the pain not knowing any better. I got some hives and a rash on my leg down my entire left leg. It didn’t feel good. It felt like a sunburn, but it cleared up within about 24 hours. I had some lingering burning in part of my leg for a few days, but I went back several days later. It had cleared up.
After that occurrence, I decided to be more cautious since my body seems sensitive to the cold. I’ve now gone back to Level 1. No matter what level you do, you can still obtain benefits. So, I’m a Level 1 lady now and I get out before the three minutes sometimes just to be conservative. I’ve now done over 20 sessions. I’ve only had one large reaction and two smaller allergic reactions. I’ve had a little rash and some small bumps/hives on my right leg. However, it went away quickly, within about 20 minutes. The other reaction was delayed. After I had gotten home and showered, my back burned and felt hot. It was bright red from my neck to my low back. It cleared up fairly quickly as well. Allergic reactions can trigger more inflammation and defeat the purpose of going. So, I’m monitoring how I do and if I have more reactions.
How often should you go?
I’d recommend going twice to give it a shot. If you feel like it benefits you, consider going more frequently. If you are trying to actively reduce inflammation and pain, I’d recommend three times a week to start. If you see great results, keep going. You can back off to less times a week when you feel ready. It’s going to be an individual decision based on your needs. Some athletes may want to come after a race or after their big weekly workouts.
Will I keep using it?
I’ve currently done over 20 sessions now. It isn’t the most pleasant therapy I’ve ever done, but it also really isn’t that bad once you get over the initial shock of the treatment. After the first few treatments, it gets easier. With my new diagnosis, I want to continue using the treatment. However, with my allergic reactions, I’ll continue to remain conservative and possibly take a break if I continue having reactions. I can tell you the allergic reactions are NOT common, so please don’t let that stop you from trying it. There are so many people that see wonderful benefits from cryotherapy and don’t have any negative side effects.
I have a monthly membership to Wellness Theory in Alpharetta, GA. Here’s their website https://wellnesstheoryus.com/ . I highly recommend going to them if you are in the Atlanta area. My membership allows me unlimited visits and includes other great services they offer. The owner and staff always make me feel very comfortable, answer all of my questions, and provide great service. I feel safe there. The owner truly has a passion for holistic health and wants his clients to feel better.
In conclusion, I recommend anyone give it a try. Please just make sure you don’t have any contraindications. My best advice is to start off conservatively and keep that up for a while if you are seeing benefits. It is truly a unique therapy that can offer health benefits with very little (if any) side effects. For me it is a great option as I try to limit the amount of medications I’m taking and go the holistic route as much as possible. Cryotherapy promotes healing in the body instead of just masking symptoms like most medications do. I hope it is a therapy I can continue to use in the future.