Whether you are Muay Thai fighter or a baseball player, there is a wide array of pain alleviating treatments with the rest, ice, compress, elevate (R.I.C.E) being among the traditional go-to methods. However, more athletes are embracing the cryotherapy muscle recovery treatments as part of their elite sports therapy. Why? During the session, the skin is significantly cooled over an impressively short 2 or 3 minute period, which triggers an array of activities in the immune system.
As a result, this makes the body’s natural defense to start taking action and heal the internal injuries and wounds. And that’s why Cryotherapy Toronto has become the best sports physiotherapy in Toronto for pain relief and muscle recovery among other treatments.
So if you are considering a sports injury clinic that offers cryotherapy muscle recovery treatment sessions, check out the 10 facts to help you decide whether this treatment method is right for you.
10 Facts About Cryotherapy Muscle Recovery For Athletes
1. You can undergo cryotherapy either in a cryogenic chamber or cryosauna. In the cryogenic chamber, the cold nitrogen gas surrounds your entire body. On the other hand, when you are in a cryosauna, the head is exposed, while the rest of the body is submerged in the cryotherapy unit. We at Cryotherapy Toronto use a capsule-shaped cryosauna, with numerous professional athletes loving it!
2. The cold temperatures in the cryosauna or cryochamber put the body into survival mode because the blood vessels are constricted. Once you step out, the blood picks up beneficial nutrients and enzymes, which then flows back to the muscles helping to ease fatigue and pain.
3. Although there is not enough research about cryotherapy muscle recovery treatment effectiveness, it has been observed that cryotherapy positively affects the circulatory and neuromuscular systems in the body, resulting in blood oxygenation leading to faster recovery.
4. Unlike other conventional chemical-based medical treatments for chronic pain like arthritis among others, that are addictive and feared to possibly cause death, Whole Body Cryotherapy has nearly no side effects. However, it’s essential to follow the given instructions and not get cryo if your doctor says you shouldn’t.
5. Cryotherapy is as beneficial to the affected area as to the whole body. Whether it is the neck, ankle, pain, whole body cryotherapy results can be paramount especially when doing it several times weekly for long-lasting relief. Consistency is key. (Check out our recommended session frequency in this article).
6. Blood tests taken from the runners who performed treadmill because of consistent muscle damage and soreness indicated that those who used cryotherapy muscle recovery treatments had few inflammation markers in their blood.
7. A Whole Body Cryotherapy for sports injuries can help significantly reduce recovery time. This is one of the reasons the therapy is loved by professional athletes and entire sports teams. For a list of notable athletes who are known to regularly use cryogenic treatments, go here.
8. Cryotherapy stimulates the release of endorphins, the chemical responsible for accelerated pain relief caused by sports injuries and other physical discomforts. This, in turn, brings great mental health benefits and even improves sleep. Don’t let your pain cause sleepless nights!
9. People with some health conditions should not be using cryotherapy muscle recovery treatments. If you have poor blood circulation, diabetic, pregnant or have blood pressure problems, it is not recommended to undergo cryotherapy. Check our list of contraindications and consult your doctor to get a confirmation.
10. Cryotherapy is incredibly beneficial since it can reduce the recovery time from the strenuous physical activity. This is why Olympic athletes love WBC – it reduces soreness after an intense workout and allows to return to high-intensity practices sooner while metabolism gets a boost, as well.
Conclusion
Sports injury occurs almost every time. These types of injuries include muscle sprains, swollen muscle and another injury on soft tissues. In severe cases, fractures and dislocations may occur. Sports injuries can be chronic or acute caused by an accident, poor physical fitness, lack of stretching and even overworking, taekwondo head injuries, hockey injuries, tennis injuries, baseball injuries, karate injuries among others. Booking your cryotherapy muscle recovery session with us might end up being one of the best decisions you ever made for your health!