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<\/p>\nAll athletes sustain injuries at some point, from professional sports people to fitness enthusiasts to people who just play sport to relax. These injuries are often treated with ice to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. In the most basic terms, this is the science that cryotherapy uses and a reason why this particular treatment is so popular among professional and amateur athletes. Here\u2019s how cryotherapy helps with pain management and pain relief.<\/p>\n
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Cryotherapy involves exposing the body to subzero temperatures for a short period of time. These extreme conditions cause the body to think it\u2019s being threatened, which activates its\u00a0fight or flight mode<\/a>. This causes adrenaline to be released, which boosts blood circulation and an increase in oxygen being sent to the cells. Overall, this stimulates the natural healing processes as a by-product.<\/p>\n While experiencing the fight or flight mode for long periods of time on a regular basis isn\u2019t healthy, short bursts \u2013 like with cryotherapy \u2013 can\u00a0benefit the body in a number of ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n These include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a condition commonly experienced after working out. You\u2019ll know it to be highly frustrating as it can affect your performance or even cause you to stop training until the pain subsides. And of course, an interrupted training schedule can cause you to take steps away from your end goal \u2013 precisely what you don\u2019t want.<\/p>\n Cryotherapy can help to reduce muscle inflammation, which helps to diminish the overall sensations of pain. This is because the icy conditions\u00a0temporarily narrow the blood vessels<\/a>, reducing blood flow to the area and preventing inflammatory mediators (proteins which cause swelling) from reaching the injury. This then reduces the level of swelling and overall pain.<\/p>\n A study examined\u00a0the effect of cryotherapy on muscle inflammation<\/a>. Researchers found that the treatment increased the number of anti-inflammatory cytokines and reduced the number of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood. Further research has even suggested cryotherapy can even reduce levels of muscle damage by suppressing the production of creatine kinase, an enzyme that indicates muscle damage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And it\u2019s not just pain management and relief. Cryotherapy can help enhance healing and recovery, which can\u00a0boost fitness in the long run<\/a>. This is due to the subzero temperatures, which can be as low as -140\u2103, causing the body to think it\u2019s under threat. Hence experiencing a true fight or flight reaction.<\/p>\n When this reaction happens, adrenaline is released which stimulates blood circulation, pumping nutrients around the body more efficiently so you\u2019re better prepared in the case of a life-threatening situation. In this case, it\u2019s the -140\u2103 temperature. Your body is given an extra boost of energy and your tissues receive extra nutrients which set up the ideal conditions for muscle recovery.<\/p>\n There has been research to support this. For example,\u00a0this study looked at the effect whole body cryotherapy had on runners<\/a>\u00a0and found that the treatment significantly reduced the number of inflammatory mediators. Researchers concluded that cryotherapy can enhance the overall recovery and cell regeneration process because the inflammation was restricted.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just adrenaline that\u2019s released under the fight or flight response. Norepinephrine, a hormone that helps to reduce pain sensitivity, is also released.\u00a0Another study found<\/a>\u00a0that cryotherapy after exercise not only significantly reduced muscle soreness, but it also diminished perception of pain.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are three types of cryotherapy and two main ways in which it can be administered.<\/p>\n\n
How Cryotherapy Helps With Pain Management and Relief<\/h2>\n
Cryotherapy Can Also Boost Muscular Recovery<\/h2>\n
The Types of Cryotherapy<\/h2>\n