Cryo-Sleep Chamber

Lore & Background

Cryotherapy has been commonly used to accelerate recovery in athletes after exercise. It decreases the temperature of tissue surfaces to minimize hypoxic cell death, edema accumulation, and muscle spasms. Minimising each or all of these ultimately alleviates discomfort and inflammation. It can involve a range of treatments, from the application of ice packs or immersion in ice baths (generally known as cold therapy), to the use of cold chambers. When the body is subjected to extreme cooling, the blood vessels are narrowed which reduces blood flow to the areas of swelling. Once outside the cryogenic chamber, the vessels expand, and an increased presence of anti-inflammatory proteins (IL-10) is established in the blood. The treatment typically involves exposing the individual to freezing, dry temperatures (at −40 °C) for 2 to 4 minutes in one of these chambers. While in the cryotherapy chamber, blood flow is reduced in that injured area. This will reduce muscle spasms and soreness. This is important to activate the circulatory system to encourage healing and regenerate muscle fibers.

In Their Own Story

Cryosurgery is the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. The application of ultra-cold liquid causes damage to the treated tissue due to intracellular ice formation. The degree of damage depends upon the minimum temperature achieved and the rate of cooling. Cryosurgery is used to treat a number of diseases and disorders, most especially skin conditions like warts, moles, skin tags and solar keratoses. Liquid nitrogen is usually used to freeze the tissues at the cellular level. The procedure is used often as it is relatively easy and quick, can be done in the doctor's office, and is deemed quite low risk. If a cancerous lesion is suspected, then excision rather than cryosurgery may be deemed more appropriate. Contraindications to the use of cryosurgery include but are not limited to using it over a neoplasm, someone with conditions that are worsened by exposure to cold (e.g., Raynaud syndrome, urticaria), and poor circulation or no sensation in the area.

Reader's Guide

Ice pack therapy is a treatment of cold temperatures to an injured area of the body. Though the therapy is extensively used, and it is agreed that it alleviates symptoms, testing has produced conflicting results about its efficacy and possibility of producing undesirable results. An ice pack is placed over an injured area and is intended to absorb heat of a closed traumatic or edematous injury by using conduction to transfer thermal energy. Cold decreases muscle spindle fiber activity and slows nerve conduction velocity; Therefore, It is commonly used to alleviate the pain of minor injuries and decrease muscle soreness. The use of ice packs in treatment decreases the blood flow most rapidly at the beginning of the cooling period; Although cryotherapy has been shown to aid in muscle recovery, some studies have highlighted that the degree of muscle cooling in humans is not significant enough to produce a considerable effect on muscle recovery. Based on previous research comparing human and animal models, the insufficient degree of cooling is due to larger limb size, more adipose tissue, and a higher muscle diameter in humans.

Did You Know?

• Cryotherapy is hypothesized to have originated from James Arnott (1797-1883), a senior physician of Brighton Infirmary, who applied a mixture of salt and crushed ice to tumors.
• The treatment typically involves exposing the individual to freezing, dry temperatures at −40 °C for 2 to 4 minutes.
• Cryosurgery uses liquid nitrogen to freeze tissues at the cellular level and is used to treat skin conditions like warts, moles, skin tags and solar keratoses.
• Some researchers now recommend that ice not be used so as not to delay the natural healing process following an injury, as the inflammatory response is necessary for healing.
• Evidence from clinical trials regarding the long-term effectiveness of cryotherapy after total knee replacement is weak, and its use may not be justified.