Cryotherapy

Encyclopedia : C : CR : CRY : Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is a medical treatment whereby the patient is placed in a cryogenic chamber for a short duration, i.e. no more than three minutes, which is comparable to ice swimming and does not destroy tissue. The term "cryotherapy" may also refer to cryosurgery, which destroys tissue. The term "cryotherapy" comes from the Greek cryo (κρυο) meaning cold and the word therapy (θεραπεια) meaning cure.

The chamber is cooled to –110 C. The patient wears no more than a small bathing suit, in addition to thick socks, gloves, and mouth and ear protection. Generally there is a pre-chamber, which is cooled to –60 C. The patient spends 30 seconds here before moving into the main chamber for two to three minutes. There is a window between the chamber and the outside operator, allowing visual contact to be maintained at all times. There is a two-way intercom as well.

After emerging from the chamber patients report a pleasant warm feeling throughout the whole body. All joints move more fluidly, they feel happy, strong, and full of energy. This positive effect lasts up to 6 hours. It takes 20 to 50 sessions to create long term benefits. The immediate effect of skin cooling and analgesia lasts for 5 minutes, but the release of endorphines can have a lasting effect, where the pains and signs of inflammation as found in blood tests remain suppressed for weeks. During treatment the average skin temperature drops 12 C, while the coldest temperature can be 5 C. The core body temperature remains unchanged during the treatment, while after it, it may drop slightly.

Cryotherapy is used to treat fibromyalgia, amongst other complaints.

References

Simo Syrjäläinen, Huippukylmähoitoa Haikossa. [link]
Westerlund, Oksa, Smolander, Mikkelsson. Huippukylmäaltistuksen vaikutus iho-, ja syvälämpötiloihin terveillä henkilöillä. [link]
Cryogenic chamber in Vienna, Austria [Ganzkörper - Kältekammer Wien]

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