Cold therapy has been used for ages to treat injuries and relieve pain. But in recent years, scientific research as begun to reveal the far-reaching benefits of cryotherapy. It turns out that regularly exposing your body to icy-cold temperatures for brief bouts of time can trigger mechanisms for healing, cell generation, greater immunity to disease, and improved overall health.
Cold Therapy for Healthy Bones and Joints
One benefit of cryotherapy that is receiving a great deal of attention is its ability to improve joint and bone health. Low grade inflammation is a common disorder in modern-day adults that is linked to stress, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and a host of other metabolic conditions. Chronic inflammation has also been shown to have a negative effect on bone health, and is considered a marker for risk of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Inflammation accelerates the breakdown of bone by triggering osteoclast activity in the cells that demineralize bone. Cryotherapy reduces chronic inflammation and promotes healthy cell activity that supports bone and joint health. For older adults who suffer aches and pains associated with aging, cryotherapy may provide a non-pharmaceutical intervention that improves joint and bone health.
How Cryotherapy Works
Cryotherapy offers two options for treating achy joints and reducing inflammation:
- Localized cryotherapy: During a localized cryotherapy session, a trained clinician uses a wand-like device to direct a stream of icy-cold liquid nitrogen vapor to a targeted area. The vapor drops the temperature of superficial tissues to near freezing, eliciting a response from the central nervous system that causes blood vessels to constrict, shunting blood, cellular waste, toxins and excess fluids to the viscera. Waste, fluids and toxins are eliminated, while red blood cells pick up extra nutrients and oxygen to be delivered to the surface as the body warms. Localized cryotherapy may be a good option if you want to treat a specific joint or muscle area.
- Whole body cryotherapy (WBC): To generally reduce inflammation and promote healthy bones, WBC is a great option. During a WBC session, you step into a cryochamber and liquid nitrogen vapor rushes in to lower the chamber temperature to 250º below zero. The temperature of your superficial tissues drops rapidly to near freezing, triggering the same vaso-constricting response described above. The session lasts a short three minutes. As your body warms again, nutrient-rich oxygenated blood returns, while excess fluids are flushed from your system.
In addition to promoting healthy bones and joints, cryotherapy is an effective treatment for post-workout joint and muscle pain, skin disorders and a host of other complaints. After a cryotherapy session, you will feel energized and your mood will be improved, because cryotherapy elicits the release of endorphins and serotonin, the feel-good hormone.
Cold treatment in NYC
To improve your health and feel amazing, schedule a cryotherapy session today at Advanced Cryo NYC in SoHo. While you visit, be sure to ask about our growing menu of treatments and therapies, all geared to promoting health, wellness and beauty.
