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CRAZY FOR CRYOTHERAPY: Why it’s the Latest Recovery Tool for Athletes
Fitness | September 17, 2017
Cryotherapy is the process in which really low temperatures are used for medical therapy.
With Whole Body Cryotherapy or WBC, Participants are placed in a full-body sized chamber and have liquid nitrogen sprayed into the air, bringing the temperature of the skin down to below -200ºF.
Why is it So Popular Among Athletes?
Well for starters, cryotherapy promotes the release healthy of endorphins, which helps to dull pain in the body. It is also very effective at slowing down cellular metabolism, which reduces inflammation, a primary cause of pain.
Not only can this treatment assist you in recovering from a tough workout even faster, but it can help to heal certain injuries in lesser time.
Cool Fact: Each Cryotherapy session burns between 500-800 calories!
A successful application of cryotherapy requires multiple sessions for several days for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. While this may seem inconvenient to some, athletes who want to get back to their normal routine as fast as possible will find that it is such a small commitment to make.
Many athletes even like to use cryotherapy after practices or games so that their sore muscles recover more quickly.
Whole Body Cryotherapy: The Experience
Once a medical waiver is signed stating that you are of good health and can undergo the treatment, you are given protective gear as you start the two-step process.
The first part consists of stepping into a whole-body chamber, which covers your body from the neck down. You stay in the chamber for 30 seconds before moving to the main chamber and stand in -184-degree Celsius temperatures for 2-3 minutes.
Once out of the main chamber, your body temperature will drop down to anywhere between 35 to 45 degrees and in order to help speed up the recovery and re-warming process of the new blood flow throughout the body it requires at least 10 minutes of cardio.
The dry and colder temperature is what reduces the muscle temperature without compromising your skin or core temperature. This allows the superficial skin temperature to return to normal while deeper tissue and muscle temperatures remain cold for increased results.
Cryotherapy Benefits
- Increase in Blood Circulation: Insufficient oxygen levels in the blood have been linked to increased proneness to illness and lowered immune system. Cryotherapy introduces the blood with elevated levels of oxygen which helps deliver vital nutrients all around your body and allows for better circulation.
- Boost the Immune System and Increase Energy and Strength: The cold temperatures force the body goes into an alert mode which in turn boosts your immune system, due to its preemptive corrective response. This promotes the normalization of hormonal balance, which in turn automatically increases your energy levels and strength.
- Your General Wellness: When your immune system is boosted, you will notice your blood circulation, concentration, and even sleep have improved. Whole Body Cryotherapy helps to reduce the recurrence of colds, flu, and seasonal allergies. These benefits help to enhance your sports and fitness performance due to the improvement of muscle and joint pain, skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, and even psychological stress.
In conclusion: If you are an athlete or just someone looking for a faster method of body recovery from pains and injuries, cryotherapy may be for you!
Please keep in mind that WBC (Whole Body Cryotherapy) is NOT an FDA approved medical treatment. It is not used in any way as a method to treat, cure, or even prevent diseases. Always be sure that the WBC is administered by a licensed and trained medical professional.
Private Member |
I believe ice baths were the old school way of doing cryotherapy by athletes. We were encouraged by our coaches to do them if we felt sore or found it too difficult to move when I was in track as a high school student. It does help. Just don’t stay in too long.
Private Member |
Cryogenics is freezing a body so that it can be re-started when medical advancements are made to repair what was wrong with the body, like in that old Mel Gibson movie Forever Young, or what Mr. Freeze did to his wife in Batman. This sounds exactly the same as an infrared sauna, which I heard a ton about from people selling the service but nothing from client success stories. Sounds like another gimmic, but dressing it up with sci-fi language, and trying to capitalize off of Wim Hof’s growing notoriety. Earthing is free and likely more effective. I am a client success of that 🙂
Private Member |
los angeles, ca, usa
It reminds me a lot of a Hot & Cold Therapy that I did incorporated with a 30 Day Detox by Dr. Schulze (American Botanical Pharmacy) which was needed to heal myself from lesions on my face. Every week I cleansed 2 major organs (lg. & sm. intestines, Gall Bladder with Liver and Kidney’s with Bladder) by drinking 1 gallon of 1 part Carrot Juice and 1 part purified/distilled water, Herbal teas, tinctures made up of holistic plants, and detoxifying ingredients. Because I had a problem with my skin I also had to take tinctures of Cayenne for circulation and The Hot & Cold therapy of bathing in cold water for 5 minutes then hot water for 5 as well.
The Hot & Cold Therapy really helped enhance the circulation in my skin and in my organs as I let the water hit my Kidneys and Liver for additional stimulation for more movement in the detoxifying process.
Interesting article. I’m also listening to Chris Wark (Chris Beat Cancer Modules) – How to Detoxify your Body and Your Life! An Anti-Cancer Treatment. He also mentions Wim Hof’s treatment to help heal the body. So Cool.
Thanks Zuzka!
Private Member |
ft lauderdale, fl, usa
I started doing this once a week about a month ago. My son introduced it to me after he had one treatment. About 4 weeks back, my pull up bar came unhinged causing me to have a pretty serious fall. End result was a sublexed rib (rib knocked partially out of place) and alot of Zuzka’s postural therapy sessions that followed. Painful when I coughed, etc. One week in I started the Cryotherapy (whole body) once a week. I was hoping that it may help with the inflammation of upper back muscles and spine area. I would do the Cryo and then go home and do a Stretch and Tone wo and the postural therapy for upper and lower back. By the third Cryo session, I was noticeably better. I was told it would take 6 weeks for the pain to stop, it took me 4. Now I am back to normal wo routines. We do 3 minutes and the temp goes as high as -270 degrees. The time does go by fast and I get a boost of energy immediately after. The owner of the gym that offers the Cryo is an ex pro ball player. He has cysts on his legs that come and go caused by previous injuries. He does the Cryo 3 times a week and his cysts have not returned. It’s a fun 3 minutes that’s for sure. Prices vary dramatically, we pay $30 a session but other places apparently charge a lot more. So you should definitely research prior. (:
Private Member |
seattle, washington
Funny I have friend who posted about this at Instagram. Not any stranger that people cooking themselves in a steam bath. I don’t know if I could handle the cold having frostbite in toes before.