Cold therapy is standard treatment for soft tissue injuries like sprained ankles, tennis elbow, neck and back pain, and other bodily aches and pains. Applying cold helps to numb nerve endings and shrink blood vessels, relieving pain and reducing inflammation at the injury site.
Until recently, your options for cold therapy were mostly limited to the topical application of frozen vegetables, ice packs, or submerging and soaking an injured body part in ice water. But today, thanks to technological innovation, the way cold therapy is applied is rapidly changing.
Localized Cryotherapy for Pain and Healing
Localized cryotherapy unleashes the power of technology to deliver cold therapy in a revolutionary way. Compared to traditional methods of cold therapy, localized cryotherapy is faster, more effective and less uncomfortable for the recipient. Regular cryotherapy treatments can accelerate the healing process by stimulating the regeneration of new cells and triggering enhanced collagen production.
Localized cryotherapy can be used to treat the most common areas of injury, including:
- low back
- neck
- hamstring
- ankle
- knee
- wrist
- elbow
Localized cryotherapy is often used by athletes as a supplementary therapy during rehabilitation from surgery or sports injuries.
Other conditions often treated with localized cryotherapy include:
- Joint pain from osteoarthritis
- Delayed onset muscle soreness after intense exercise
- Skin disorders like warts, acne, psoriasis, skin tags and moles
- Rotator cuff injuries and frozen shoulder syndrome
- Sprains and muscle strains
- Tendiopathies like tennis and golfer’s elbow, and Achilles tendonopathy
- Plantar fasciitis
How Localized Cryotherapy Works
During a localized cryotherapy session, a trained clinician uses a wand-like device to target the exact site of injury with a steady stream of liquid nitrogen vapor. The air temperature surrounding the vapor may drop as low as minus 40º F, lowering your skin temperature to near freezing.
In response to the cold stimulus, blood vessels in the injured soft tissues constrict, shunting blood to your viscera to keep your vital organs warm. In the process, inflammation and cellular waste are also removed to the viscera, where they are then redirected to the lymph and kidneys for elimination. After two to three minutes of treatment, as your body begins to warm again, red blood cells return to the injured site, bringing with them oxygen and nutrients to promote the healing process.
Reduced pain and inflammation after a localized cryotherapy session can improve mobility and range of motion, enabling you to function more normally while your injuries heal.
Localized Cryotherapy in NYC
If you suffer from acute or chronic muscle or joint pain, cryotherapy is just around the corner at InVita Cryo NYC. Our friendly skilled clinicians know how to safely target your injured areas to bring cooling relief.
Aching all over? Ask about whole body cryotherapy for general body aches, pains and inflammation. And be sure to look over our growing menu of other innovative treatments and therapies for health, wellness and beauty.