There are many techniques to treat certain health problems such as arthritis, being overweight, insomnia, or diabetes. But specifically, this one stands out above the rest: whole body cryotherapy. Known since ancient times in eastern countries such as Japan, whole-body cold therapies are used to treat inflammatory and painful diseases such as arthritis.
The whole body cryotherapy technique tries to carry out sessions where the patient uses a special machine to subject the body to low temperatures ranging from 1ºC to -196ºC in periods ranging from 1 to 3 minutes. This method contributes to the improvement of the surface of the skin and in deeper layers too: that is part of its great benefits.
This technique is applied with cryotherapy machines specially designed to perform the cryotherapy procedure on people who request it, explains CryoSense. The temperatures reached in the session generally oscillate between -110º C and -196º C and are achieved thanks to evaporated liquid nitrogen. Intense cold does not adversely affect the body, which has an automatic blocking system activated through thermo-receptors.
What areas can cryotherapy be applied to?
Cryotherapy every day, new applications and benefits are discovered for different areas such as Pain therapies, traumatology, cosmetics, treatments and skin improvements, application to athletes, in short, to the general well-being of people. Whole-body cryotherapy has medical, sports, aesthetic, and wellness applications.
In sports medicine, its effects are more than scientifically proven. It works as an analgesic and anesthetic and is a powerful anti-inflammatory since it reduces the arrival of blood to the damaged area, making it very useful in cases of sprains, inflammations, and bruises.
In the medical field, cryotherapy is the technique in which cold is also used, but this time the procedure consists of applying liquid nitrogen for medical purposes, similar to those established with the cold compress.
How a whole body Cryotherapy session is performed?
There are some cabins, known as cryotherapy machines or cryotherapy saunas, in which the entire process takes place under strict medical and safety control. The centers that offer body cryotherapy treatments make sure that the user is accompanied by a certified therapist in the area throughout the process.
Before therapy, it is necessary to keep control of the user’s vital conditions. A specialist controls the oxygen level available to the user while in the cryotherapy cabin. As the idea is to expose the greatest amount of skin to the cold, it is allowed to perform this treatment in a bathing suit. The hands and feet will be very well protected so that the cold does not penetrate excessively into our bodies.
Once the session was over, we noticed the effects of body cryotherapy almost immediately. And the possible side effects are very mild. The user should apply protective sunscreen and nourish the skin very well weeks after being submitted to a cryotherapy treatment.
Conclusion
The benefits of cryotherapy are remarkable. It has proven to be an effective technique in the rehabilitation process of sports injuries, arthritis ailments, skin treatments, and other areas of medicine and cosmetics. Due to the contraindications that exist concerning its use and the fact that it is necessary to know the type of injury suffered, its use is always recommended under the supervision of a medical and/or sports professional.