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 A Note on Cryotherapy

The benefits of cryotherapy are numerous, including athletic recovery time, better skin, and healthier joints. A treatment using cold temperatures also promotes better sleep and a positive mood. The process has a long history, with treatments dating back to 2500 BC in Ancient Egypt. A Japanese doctor, Dr. Yamaguchi, modernized the method of whole body cryotherapy by using freezing sessions to treat arthritis and strengthen the immune system. A group of Polish scientists embraced cryotherapy as a form of physical therapy and created an Olympic rehabilitation center in Spala, Poland. Have a look at Cryotherapy Raleigh NC - OSTEOFIT to get more info on this. 

Liquid nitrogen is sprayed onto an area of the body, usually a cancerous lump. The freezing causes lethal ice crystals to form inside cells, which can destroy almost any type of cell. The cells break open because the ice expands inside them and the water within them exits. Once the ice forms, blood supply to the area is disrupted. The treatment area becomes scabbed, and the dead cancer cells begin to detach from the surface of the body.

A person undergoing cryotherapy can use an ice pack or bag of ice at home. Some athletes have even taken cold showers to recover from a tough workout. To prevent damage to the skin, cryotherapy temperatures should be limited to 20 minutes at a time. If using ice packs or ice baths at home, make sure to use gloves and a towel to protect your skin. Physical therapy clinics and hospitals typically have machines that deliver a controlled cooling and heat wave, providing targeted relief of pain.

Another benefit of cryotherapy is that it can improve muscle fatigue and delay the onset of muscle soreness. The treatment induces temporary temperature stress, a process that causes your body to release certain hormones. During this time, your body produces endorphins that increase the ability to resist fatigue, pain, and hunger. It also improves blood circulation, burning 500 to 800 calories in an hour. The procedure also reduces nerve irritation and numbness.

A person undergoing cryotherapy should inform the treatment provider if she is pregnant. Radiation is harmful to a fetus, and the procedure should be avoided by pregnant women and people with other medical conditions. It is important to seek the advice of a doctor prior to cryotherapy before beginning a treatment for any condition. A brief overnight hospital stay after cryotherapy is recommended for deep tumors. As a precaution, patients should plan someone to drive them home.

In addition to treating symptoms associated with ROP, cryotherapy is effective for reducing the amount of vascularized retina. It decreases the amount of VEGF and other angiogenic factors in a hypoxic retina. In the 1980s, a trial of cryotherapy revealed a 19.8% reduction in total retinal detachments in patients as young as 10 years of age. Further research has confirmed this result, making cryotherapy a common treatment for ROP threshold.