All Topics  
Cryotherapy

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Cryotherapy
 
 
  Topics Cryotherapy Topic Home

Cryotherapy is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy or the removal of heat from a body part. Its goal is to decrease cellular metabolism, increase cellular survival, decrease inflammation
Inflammation

Inflammation is the complex biological response of Blood vessel tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue....
, decrease pain
Pain

Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of a noxious stimulus or bodily harm....
 and spasm, promote vasoconstriction
Vasoconstriction

Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, particularly the large arteries, arterioles and veins....
, and when using extreme temperatures, to destroy cells by crystalizing the cytosol
Cytosol

The cytosol or intracellular fluid is the liquid found inside cell . In eukaryotes this liquid is separated by cell membranes from the contents of the organelles suspended in the cytosol, such as the mitochondrial matrix inside the mitochondrion....
. The most prominent use of the term refers to the surgical treatment, specifically known as cryosurgery
Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery is the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. The term comes from the Greek words cryo and surgery meaning "hand work" or "handiwork"....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Cryotherapy'
Start a new discussion about 'Cryotherapy'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Cryotherapy is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy or the removal of heat from a body part. Its goal is to decrease cellular metabolism, increase cellular survival, decrease inflammation
Inflammation

Inflammation is the complex biological response of Blood vessel tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue....
, decrease pain
Pain

Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of a noxious stimulus or bodily harm....
 and spasm, promote vasoconstriction
Vasoconstriction

Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, particularly the large arteries, arterioles and veins....
, and when using extreme temperatures, to destroy cells by crystalizing the cytosol
Cytosol

The cytosol or intracellular fluid is the liquid found inside cell . In eukaryotes this liquid is separated by cell membranes from the contents of the organelles suspended in the cytosol, such as the mitochondrial matrix inside the mitochondrion....
. The most prominent use of the term refers to the surgical treatment, specifically known as cryosurgery
Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery is the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. The term comes from the Greek words cryo and surgery meaning "hand work" or "handiwork"....
. Other therapies that use the term are cryogenic chamber therapy and ice pack therapy. The term "cryotherapy" comes from the Greek cryo meaning cold and the word therapy (?e?ape?a) meaning cure.

Cryosurgery

Cryosurgery is the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. Cryotherapy is used to treat a number of diseases and disorders, especially skin conditions like warts, moles, skin tags and solar keratoses. Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen is a liquefied atmospheric gas produced industrially in large quantities by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is pure nitrogen in a liquid state at very low temperature....
 is usually used to freeze the tissues at the cellular level. The procedure is used often because of its efficacy and low rates of side effects.

Ice pack therapy

Ice pack therapy is a treatment of cold temperatures to an injured area of the body. An ice pack
Ice pack

An ice pack is a plastic sac of crushed or cubed ice, refrigerant gel or liquid, or even frozen vegetables. This refrigerant, usually toxicity, can absorb considerable heat, since its specific heat is high....
 is placed over an injured area and is intended to absorb heat of a closed traumatic or edematous injury by using conduction to transfer thermal energy. The physiologic effects of cold application include immediate vasoconstriction
Vasoconstriction

Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, particularly the large arteries, arterioles and veins....
 with reflexive vasodilation
Vasodilation

Vasodilation refers to the widening of blood vessels resulting from relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, particularly in the large arteries, smaller arterioles and large veins....
, decreased local metabolism
Metabolism

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments....
 and enzymatic activity, and decreased oxygen demand. Cold decreases muscle spindle fiber activity and slows nerve conduction velocity, therefore it is often used to decrease spasticity and muscle guarding. It is commonly used to alleviate the pain of minor injuries.

Cryogenic chamber therapy


Cryogenic chamber therapy is a treatment whereby the patient is placed in a cryogenic
Cryogenics

In physics, cryogenics is the study of the production of very low temperature and the behavior of materials at those temperatures. Rather than the familiar temperature scales of Fahrenheit and Celsius, cryogenicists use the Kelvin scales....
 chamber for a short duration (i.e. no more than three minutes, which is comparable to ice swimming
Ice swimming

Ice swimming is swimming in a body of water with a frozen crust of ice, which requires cutting a hole in the ice. This may also be simulated by a pool of water at 0 degree Celsius, the temperature at which water freezes....
), and if used properly, will not destroy tissue. Whole body cryotherapy initially originated in Japan in 1978. However, it was a group of Polish scientists who took the idea and made whole body cryotherapy the physical therapy it is today. The Olympic rehabilitation centre in Spala, Poland opened in May 2000 and has been used as a training and injury rehabilitation centre for many sporting bodies.

The chamber is cooled, typically with liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen is a liquefied atmospheric gas produced industrially in large quantities by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is pure nitrogen in a liquid state at very low temperature....
, to a temperature of –110 C. The patient is protected from acute frostbite with socks, gloves and mouth and ear protection, but in addition to that, wears nothing but a bathing suit. The patient spends a few minutes in the chamber. During treatment the average skin temperature drops to 12 C, while the coldest skin temperature can be 5 C. The core body temperature remains unchanged during the treatment, however it may drop slightly afterwards. Therapy triggers the release of endorphines which induce analgesia (immediate pain relief).

Patients report that the experience is invigorating and improves a variety of conditions such as psychological stress, insomnia, rheumatism
Rheumatism

Rheumatism or Rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the heart, bones, joints, kidney, skin and lung. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology....
, muscle and joint pain, fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia , meaning muscle and connective tissue pain , is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to gentle Somatosensory system ....
, itching, and psoriasis
Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease which affects the skin and joints. It commonly causes red scaly patches to appear on the skin....
. 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. The effects of extreme cold and endorphine release are scientifically studied. Curiously, some patients compare the feeling to sauna
Sauna

A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
 at +110 C.

External links