Chronic pain is an invisible illness that more than 100 million Americans suffer from. Many are put on narcotic pain medication for their entire life and left to suffer. Many become dependent on pain medication and so used to it that it doesn't even help anymore. Alternative pain therapies are needed to help chronic pain patients break through the pain and function in their daily lives. Cryotherapy can help patients live a better life by attacking some of the pain sources. Learn how cryotherapy works and it's amazing benefits.
What Is Cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy is a Greek term for cold therapy. It was invented several thousand years ago by a Greek physician named Hippocrates. He used snow and ice to relieve his patients of pain. Technically, the simple act of putting on an ice pack is a form of cryotherapy. However, now there are cryotherapy chambers that chronic pain patients can use to accelerate healing of soft tissues.
How Cryotherapy Chambers Work
Whole-body cryotherapy is done by standing in a chamber that cools to -184 degrees. You only go into the chamber for about two to three minutes to prevent any adverse effects from the cold.
Benefits of Cryotherapy Chambers
Although cryotherapy chambers are just now beginning to become popular, they were invented in Japan in 1978. Over the past several decades, they've been used to treat everything from pain to weight gain. Most chronic pain patients have severe inflammation throughout their bodies. The cryotherapy chambers make the soft tissues so cold, the inflammation is often stopped and reversed right in its tracks, leading to instant pain relief. These chambers can benefit many types of pain such as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Along with the anti-inflammatory effect, the chambers have an analgesic effect as well. During cryotherapy, your natural endorphins are triggered which results in immediate pain relief. Regular cryotherapy can help people begin waking up with less pain on a regular basis.
New injuries are also common with chronic pain. The inflammation often causes muscles to pull. Many chronic pain patients throw their back out from time to time, leaving them in debilitating pain. Cryotherapy can greatly reduce recovery time from new injuries. It also works well for recovering after surgery. It is a dry therapy, so you don't have to worry about getting incisions wet.
As you can see, there are many benefits to using cryotherapy as another method of pain relief. Just one treatment can give you relief on a bad pain day. Frequent treatments can reduce the amount of pain you're in on a daily basis. Talk to a center like Changes Of Cherry Creek/ Denver's Day Spa for more information.
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