Being injured can impact your life in every area, and you are probably willing to do anything to speed up your recovery time. But aside from rest and physical therapy, there are only a handful of treatment options available to manage your injury and promote rapid healing.
One treatment option that is rapidly gaining traction is cryotherapy.
Cold therapy is nothing new when it comes to treating injuries. In fact, it is a major component of the acronym PRICE, used in first aid and medicine to represent the standard treatment for soft tissue injuries: Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
However, traditional cold therapy normally involves icing the injured area with an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas, or possibly submerging the injury in ice water. Thanks to technology, there is now a better, faster and more effective way to treat injuries with cold therapy.
Cryotherapy: Technology on Ice
Whole body and localized cryotherapy, using liquid nitrogen vapor as a cooling agent, are fast becoming the treatments of choice for musculoskeletal injuries, and for good reason:
- Instant pain relief: Cryotherapy temporarily deadens nerve endings, immediately reducing pain
- Reduced swelling: Inflammation can place pressure on your nerves, increasing sensations of pain and discomfort. Cryotherapy quickly reduces swelling
- Less medication: Reduced pain and swelling means you need to take fewer pain and anti-inflammatory meds
- Improved function and range of motion: As swelling and pain decrease, your joints recover greater mobility and function
- Accelerated healing: Cryotherapy slows down cellular metabolism, reducing the rate of cell death and decreasing the need for tissue repair
- Convenience: Nitrogen vapor cryotherapy takes only minutes, and you experience minimal discomfort during treatment.
By harnessing advanced technologies, specialized equipment enables the use of liquid nitrogen vapor to rapidly cool an injured area. Ice packs and ice baths only cool the superficial tissues of the body to about 40° F. Cryotherapy subjects your body to sub-freezing temperatures as low as -270° F.
Rapid freezing elicits an immediate constriction of the blood vessels near the body’s surface, quickly shunting blood, fluids and waste products away from the site of injury. As your body warms again, blood enriched with oxygen and nutrients returns to the injured area, promoting healing.
Best Times to Seek Cryotherapy Treatment
While cryotherapy can be beneficial at any stage of your injury, there are certain times when it may be particularly beneficial:
- Shortly after your injury: Once you receive medical attention, cryotherapy can provide rapid pain relief and reduce swelling.
- During the healing process: Intermittent cryotherapy sessions can speed the healing process by eliminating excess fluids and waste products from the injured area.
- During recovery from surgery: If your injury requires surgery, cryotherapy can help reduce pain, eliminating the need for addictive pain killers.
- After a physical therapy session: Although necessary, physical therapy can be painful. Sore muscles and joints will benefit from cryotherapy, which will also reduce delayed muscle soreness.
Cryotherapy Treatment in NYC
If you are nursing an injury, relief is nearby at Advanced Cryo NYC in historic SoHo. Our trained clinicians will help you decide whether localized or whole body cryotherapy is best for you, and they will ensure that your session is safe and effective. While you visit, be sure to check out our growing menu of therapies and treatments, designed to enhance and support your busy active lifestyle.
