Cryotherapy, also known as cold therapy, is a medical treatment that involves exposing the body to extremely cold temperatures for a short period of time.
Reduces Inflammation and Swelling
Inflammation occurs from the immune system’s process of responding to any irritant, whether physical (an injury), biological (a pathogen), or due to toxin exposure (such as from chemicals or radiation). The inflammatory response is what causes the familiar pain, swelling, and redness at the site of an injury. As part of this process, local white blood cells respond to these irritants by removing pathogens, bacteria, and any damaged cells. These white blood cells release different types of proteins, some of which having an anti-inflammatory effect, and some of which having an inflammatory effect. Research has shown that cryotherapy decreases the inflammatory proteins and increases the anti-inflammatory proteins at the site of the injury, which leads to an accelerated healing process (Garcia et al., 2020). Cryotherapy can also help with edema by inducing vasoconstriction, which reduces blood flow and fluid accumulation in the affected area. It can also help alleviate pain and discomfort associated with edema by numbing the nerve endings in the affected area, which can provide symptomatic relief. Additionally, it’s also been found to help in pain management of aching joints caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Improves Recovery From Exercise and Injuries
During cryotherapy, the cold temperature causes the recipient’s blood vessels to constrict. During the treatment, this vasoconstriction initially causes blood flow to the site of the sports injury (or to the muscular micro-tears that ordinarily occur during exercise) to decrease. However, immediately following the treatment, those same blood vessels then dilate (meaning they widen) in response, causing an ultimate increase in blood flow to the site undergoing healing. This increased blood flow accelerates the recovery process by simultaneously carrying oxygen and nutrients to the affected area and carrying waste away from the affected area (Cornerwell, 2022).
Reduces Muscle Soreness
Cryotherapy can reduce muscle soreness via several mechanisms, two of which being a short-term reduction in pain following injury and a longer-term reduction in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following exercise-related muscular microtears. Due to the freezing, cold temperatures applied in cryotherapy sessions, recipients experience a natural painkilling effect by temporarily numbing nerve endings to reduce the unpleasant sensation of muscle recovery. A September 2023 controlled, double-blind study of 35 participants experiencing ordinary pain symptoms following exercise found that treatment with multiple whole-body cryo sessions during the 96 hours following exercise significantly reduces DOMS-associated pain, stiffness, and measurable muscle damage markers (Wolska et al., 2023).
Can Improve Skin
Cryotherapy may increase skin cell turnover, which in turn improves collagen production. Collagen production is responsible for skin firmness and elasticity, and its production declines with age. Greater firmness and elasticity of the skin minimizes the appearance of fine lines such as crow’s feet and smile lines (Diaz, 2020). Furthermore, cryotherapy has demonstrated encouraging results in the alleviation of several skin disorders, including acne, psoriasis, and eczema (atopic dermatitis) by reducing inflammation and promoting healing through its therapeutic effects on skin cells.
Preventing and treating cancer
Cryotherapy, also known as cryoablation or cryosurgery, can be applied directly to malignant tumors (cancerous neoplasms) or cancerous tissue using a probe or needle-like applicator. The extreme cold temperatures freeze the abnormal cells, causing them to die. This approach is often used for small, localized tumors that can appear in lung, skin, kidney, liver, and prostate cancer patients.
Both cryotherapy and ice baths are forms of cold therapy, and both have their benefits– many of which overlap. Here are the pros and cons of each that might make one or the other a more appealing option to someone seeking the healing benefits of cold therapy.
Cryotherapy
Recipients of cryotherapy treatments either enter a whole-body enclosure, or chamber, circulating with extremely cold air (liquid nitrogen), or they receive cryotherapy via a targeted cryo device. Believe it or not, the temperatures of cryotherapy vary between -200ºF and -300ºF!
Pros of Cryotherapy:
Cons of Cryotherapy:
Ice Baths
To take an ice bath, or cold plunge, individuals enter a tub filled with water ranging between 40ºF and 59ºF. This can be accomplished via the DIY method, by making a large quantity of ice and filling a sufficiently large tub with a mixture of ice and water, or by purchasing an at-home cold plunge machine, which range from around $5,000 to $10,000.
Pros of Ice Baths:
Cons of Ice Baths:
Whole-body cryo chambers and targeted cryotherapy offer many of the same benefits, but vary in terms of the recipient’s reason for seeking treatment, the method of application, and the duration of the treatment. While cryo chamber sessions are known to provide a global reduction in inflammation and increase in circulation, targeted cryotherapy provides the same benefits in a highly-focused area, thus being ideal for individuals looking to alleviate injuries localized to one or more specific body parts (knee, neck, shoulder, ankle, hip, elbow, etc). Additionally, many proponents of cryo chamber therapy find that whole-body cryo treatment provides psychological benefits, in addition to the physiological benefits found with both methods. Lastly, while cryo chamber sessions range between 1-3 minutes in duration, targeted cryotherapy is often longer, between 12-15 minutes, to ensure accurate chilling of the entire area in need. Because of these slight differences, many advocates of cryotherapy find that a treatment plan combining both administration methods is ideal for anyone with one or more problem areas, so that they may receive the most possible benefits.
The recommended treatment protocol varies depending on the issue the recipient is looking to address. For individuals experiencing acute injuries, they can benefit from daily sessions for the first 2-4 days or so, until their initial injury-induced inflammation begins to subside, at which point they can gradually decrease the frequency to 1-3 sessions per week. For those seeking to lessen the severity of chronic conditions, 2-3 sessions per week is recommended. And for those seeking to improve their general overall wellness, 2-3 sessions per week in the cryo chamber is ideal.
If you are interested in trying red light therapy, you may be wondering where you can find it near you. There are a few different options for finding red light therapy treatments in your area:
We all know that there are risks associated with cold exposure, whether from the outdoors or from some form of cold therapy such as ice packs, ice baths, or cryotherapy. However, most of the risks related to cryo chamber therapy and targeted cryotherapy are from improper or unsupervised use. These include hypothermia, frostbite, nerve damage, and skin irritation when sessions go longer than the recommended, demonstrably safe treatment duration, or when proper safety protocol isn’t followed, such as when treatment is administered without adequate professional supervision. Cryotherapy-related complications are incredibly rare (estimated at 0.00225%). However, there are certain contraindications to cryotherapy and cold therapy in general. People with raynaud’s disease, a history of extreme cold sensitivity (or cold-related diseases such as cold urticaria, cold induced hemoglobinuria, cold agglutination, or cryoglobulinemia), hypertension, a history of severe vascular diseases, hemolysis, trophic disorders, aesthesia disorders, significant anemia or anemia tumors, bleeding disorders, a history of stroke or cerebral hemorrhage, carcinomas, frostbite, tissue microvasculature disorders such as diabetes, kidney and urinary bladder diseases, paresthesia, neurological diseases, polyneuropathies, unstable angina pectoris, epilepsy, people with metal implants or pacemakers, or pregnant women should avoid cryotherapy. Additionally, any reputable cryotherapy clinic will inform its clients that it is imperative to enter the cryo chamber with no moisture on the skin (such as sweat after a workout), as well as no lotions or oils, to prevent cold-related injuries. As with any new experience, while cryotherapy is demonstrably very safe, first-timers may experience some cryo-anxiety. Individuals with any concerns or anxiety around cryotherapy may wish to proceed slowly, seeing how their body responds to their first session before scheduling any follow-ups.