Ever wondered what local cryotherapy is? Well to put it simply, it’s a form of therapy that rapidly cools down the skin over a sore joint, sports injury or any other minor complaint. It involves applying a stream of nitrogen vapour to the target area using local cryotherapy equipment.
The temperature of the nitrogen vapour can be as low as -160 degrees celsius but the skin over the affected area is cooled down to around 3-7 degrees celsius. This rapid cooling of the skin takes about three minutes depending on the size of the area being treated.
What does local cryotherapy do?
It reduces pain, increases circulation and reduces inflammation. It also increases the release of pain relieving hormones and increases the activity in the cells being treated, which can accelerate healing. This makes it a great form of treatment for arthritic joints, lower back pain, neck pain and sports injuries. In fact, just about any musculoskeletal condition can be successfully treated using this form of treatment.
How would I tolerate such cold temperature you may ask? Its actually really tolerable and is definitely more comfortable than more conventional icing, there is no moisture in the nitrogen vapour so this reduced conductivity makes it much more comfortable.
The sensation can be described as that feeling of cold mist over your face as you open the freezer on a hot summer’s day. The therapeutic effects of the local cryotherapy are quite incredible!
We saw a long standing lower back pain sufferer at a recent health and fitness expo, who struggled to sleep at night due to pain, after her first application of the local cryotherapy, she came over to tell us that she had had her best night’s sleep in years!
This is just one of the many success stories. Please get in touch if you would like to book an appointment with our qualified staff.