If you struggle with chronic pain, you know what it means to fight uphill every day. It eats away at your quality of life. It makes it hard to enjoy the things you love.
And if you ask us, it’s time to reduce pain and improve life. The good news is that we have the tools to help you get there.
For people who struggle with chronic pain, it’s time to try cryotherapy so that you can take back your life. Is cryotherapy right for you? Here’s everything you need to know.
If you’re looking for Cryotherapy in Rapid City, Spearfish or a neighboring town, CoolCRYO can help.
What is Cryotherapy?
Have you ever applied an ice pack to an aching or swollen muscle? If so, you’ve done a basic version of cryotherapy before. In fact, this bare-bones version of cryotherapy is incredibly common, especially among athletes–it’s the I component of R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) which is the most widely recommended home care regimen for sore muscles and injuries.
Cryotherapy helps address the following conditions:
- Tendonitis
- Runner’s knee
- Arthritis
- Joint pain
- Sprains
- Pain and swelling after a hip replacement
- Pain and swelling after a knee replacement
- Lower back pain
- Upper back pain
- Neck pain
Of course, professional cryotherapy treatments are a bit more involved than the humble pack of ice in your freezer. In reality, professional cryotherapy treatments are just one of the many ways to apply cryotherapy. These include:
- Coolant sprays
- Ice baths
- Whirlpools
- Ice massage
- Ice packs
When we talk about cryotherapy in this context, we’re talking about a targeted cold treatment designed to go deeper than an ice pack, thus achieving a greater effect over an extended period of time.
Types of Cryotherapy
There are two types of cryotherapy:
Here are the primary differences between full body cryo & local cryotherapy:
| Local Cryotherapy | Full Body Cryotherapy |
|---|---|
| Treats specific area | Treats entire body at once |
| Uses handheld equipment | Uses free-standing chamber |
| Nitrogen, electric, CO2 | Nitrogen, electric |
| Sessions can last 5-15 minutes | Sessions last 1-3 minutes |
Finding the right fit is a question of what you’re trying to treat. Regardless, most cryotherapy professionals recommend multiple treatments to see the effect sustained over a longer period of time.
Here’s a look at both options.
Localized/Targeted Cryotherapy
As the name implies, targeted or local cryotherapy is designed to target a specific area of the body.
To perform targeted cryotherapy, a technician will identify or mark the desired area. They then use specialized equipment to cool the affected area. The hyper-cooled gas is sprayed on the desired treatment area at a high velocity to achieve deep penetration. Think of it like a sprayed-on ice pack.
You may feel numbness, tingling, or a bit of aching as the cooling down process begins. If you’ve ever experienced frostbite, this follows a similar premise in a safe, controlled environment to deliver the therapeutic benefits of extreme cold.
As the treatment is underway, the cold slows down synaptic communication between nerves, acting somewhat like an opioid. If you’ve ever had stiff fingers after being exposed to the cold, that’s because your nerves aren’t communicating as quickly. That’s good news for those who struggle with chronic pain, since synapses can’t signal pain to each other.
Once the treatment is finished and the body re-heats, blood vessels will dilate to four times their resting size. This enables the body to pump blood faster to restore your body temperature, which also means that you get more warmth and oxygen flowing to tense muscles. In the process, your body will also increase its respiratory rate to make up for higher oxygen circulation.
CoolCRYO offers many local cryotherapy treatments. We service the greater Rapid City area, Spearfish, and beyond.
Full Body Cryotherapy
Full-body cryotherapy is a more advanced version of localized cryotherapy–in layman’s terms, it’s a specialized ice bath (without the water).
To perform the treatment, you stand in a cryosauna (cryo chamber) with your head and neck outside of the unit. Think of it as a person-sized upright freezer. The process itself is quite simple: you step inside the unit, a technician turns it on, and you stay there for about two to three minutes.
Then, once the treatment finishes, you carry on your day.
What should you wear to a Full Body Cryotherapy Session?
Underwear, shorts, or swimwear. You will also be provided with socks/slippers and gloves.
CoolCRYO of Rapid City, SD is one of the first in the United States to utilize fully electric state-of-the-art full body cryotherapy chambers.
To learn more about CoolCRYO’s full body cryotherapy services, please click here.
What is Cryotherapy & How Is It Used?
Whether you opt for targeted or full-body cryotherapy, the treatment has a wide variety of potential applications.
The most common application is pain management. After all, athletes and patients with chronic pain rely on ice packs all the time to lessen muscle soreness after exercise and mitigate the effects of chronic pain. In fact, cryotherapy is used post-surgically to reduce pain and accelerate healing without the harmful side effects of pain medication.
If you’ve ever chilled out in an ice bath to soothe aching muscles, cryotherapy is a more extreme version of an ice bath.
Cryotherapy may also have indirect benefits for other conditions with associated symptoms of pain and discomfort. Exposing the skin to sub-zero temperatures can trigger the release of anti-inflammatory agents and endorphins, which can help boost your mood if you struggle with depression or anxiety.
Which One is the Right Choice for You?
So, which one is the right choice for your chronic pain? It depends on what you want to treat and how extensive it is.
If you want to treat a specific pained area, such as an aching hip or knee, localized treatment would be a more efficient choice. On the other hand, if you’re dealing with widespread chronic pain, full-body cryotherapy would be a better option to deal with all of your pain at once.
The Cryotherapy Treatments You Need to Thrive
Ready for natural, effective healing? Chronic pain shouldn’t hold you back, and here at CoolCRYO, we’re here to make sure of it.
We offer cost-effective cryotherapy services to customers living in Rapid City, Spearfish, and other neighboring South Dakota towns. Think of us as your go-to provider for cryotherapy treatments you can trust.
Ready to take back your life from chronic pain? Book an appointment today to find out how cryotherapy can help.
