What is cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is most commonly pain management approach used in Physiotherapy. It can be used in the treatment of musculoskeletal injury as well as a recovery method from exercise. Cryotherapy is effective, easy to use and has a minimal cost.

Application Methods

Ice Massage
Ice Towels
Excitatory Cold
Whirlpool Method
Vapocoolant Sprays
Partial Body Immersion
Whole Body Immersion

Indications

Sprain
Muscle Contusion
Oral mucositis
Post-operative conditions like symptomatic apical periodontitis and for controlling pulpal hemorrhage during vital pulp therapy.
Postsurgical swelling and pain - endodontic surgery
Rheumatic disease - psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gouty arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
Degenerative disease - osteoarthritis (OA), chronic low back pain, adhesive capsulitis, musculoskeletal diseases, and myofascial pain syndrome
Fibromyalgia

Physiologic Effects

Reduction in inflammation

Cryotherapy helps to decrease swelling around the injured area by two methods i.e. decreasing vascular permeability and reducing both arterial and soft tissue blood flow to the affected areas.

Reduction in Pain Intensity

Cryotherapy reduces pain by reducing nerve transmission velocity in pain fibers and decreasing sensitivity of recptors, thus cryotherapy induces an analgesic effect and pain relief.

Reduction in Oxidative Stress

cryotherapy reduces oxidative stress by increasing total antioxidant status and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), which is another way of measuring overall antioxidant status.

Contraindications

Patients with cryoglobulinemia
Raynaud’s disease
Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria
Peripheral vascular diseases
Insensate skin
Psychological issue
Cardiac Conditions

Precaution

frost bite can happen if ice ack is left on for more than 20 min
cold urticaria, which includes itching and swellings to large, also chances of hypotension, tachycardia, and syncope is present

Frequently Asked Questions

What is whole body cryotherapy?

whole-body cryotherapy is the immersion of whole body. The WBC protocols states that temperature d=should range from -20 to -120 degrees Celsius and Exposure time ranges from 1 minute to 3 minutes.

Is cryotherapy safe?

Cryotherapy is safe and effective pain management method if performed by a skilled by physiotherapist. Certain contraindications should be taken into considerations like impaired sensation etc.