Cryotherapy, which means “cold therapy” in literal terms, is a procedure where the body undergoes exposure to severely cold temperatures for several minutes. You can choose to do cryotherapy to just one area or go for whole-body cryotherapy. Localized cryotherapy is delivered in several different ways such as through ice massage, ice packs, coolant sprays, ice baths, or even via probes administered into tissue.

How it works?

The purpose behind the whole-body cryotherapy is that sinking the body in extremely cold air for a few minutes will deliver a number of health benefits to the individual. There is an enclosed chamber that covers the individual’s body but with a small opening at the top for their head.  Temperatures will drop to around -110 degree Celsius and they are supposed to stay in the air for about 2 to 4 minutes.

Only one session will show considerable results, but most health benefits will be seen once it is done on a regular basis – after 7 – 8 sessions.

Health Benefits

Cryotherapy has become increasingly popular among professional athletes, fitness enthusiasts and even normal individuals. This is because it provides them with the following benefits.

1. Workout Recovery

Athletes have been known to take ice baths after a rigorous performance or activity. The purpose of the ice bath is to decrease inflammation and boost the muscle recovery process by using cold temperatures. Cryotherapy is essentially similar to an ice bath, but it requires half the time and individuals are not immersed in cold water. As a result, many professional sports teams and athletic programs have switched to cryotherapy instead of ice baths.

2. Pain Relief and Muscle Healing

Cryotherapy helps to relieve muscle pain as well as joint and muscle disorders such as arthritis. It offers temporary pain relief for arthritis. Athletes have been using it to treat injuries. It is also recommended by doctors to use ice packs on painful and wounded muscles. After the ice pack is removed, blood circulation will be faster, which will promote healing and pain relief. It is also effective after intense exercise as it will heal pain.

3. Mental Well-being

Cold showers have been known to relieve symptoms of depression. Exposure of the body to extremely cold temperatures will result in the release of endorphins, chemicals that lead to the reduction of stress. As it surrounds the body in cold air, it produces similar results of that of a cold shower.

4. Weight Management

It is believed that exposure to cold temperatures will effectively reduce fat by producing brown fat, which uses more calories to keep the body warm and burn additional body fat.

Safety

It is generally considered to be a safe technique but should obviously be discussed with a doctor. Following the proper procedure is also essential such as not sleeping during the process and not going longer than the time session. The many health benefits are still being researched so you should consider this before going for it.