Benefits of Ice Treatment and Recovery

Benefits of Ice Treatments

If there is pain, swelling and irritation after an activity, ice treatments can reduce these symptoms. Coolness slows down the particles in tissues and reduces blood flow. The most common cold treatments are ice or something that has been made cold by placing it in the freezer, such as a gel pack .Apply ice for 15 minutes, then allow a 15-minute rest before reapplying. As with heat, too much cold can slow down and stiffen sore joints, so use this treatment with moderation. Applying ice or anything tremendously cold to bare skin can cause injury. Always wrap the source of cold in some sort of cloth.  If a bandage or splint is too thick and the cold is not getting through, apply the cold near the area on exposed skin. Stop using ice if you feel extreme pain or numbness due to the cold.

Benefits of Cryotherapy

Unique effects of healing have been observed in the sports traumatology area. Organized cryotherapy has become a possible method in healing sports traumas, and is also applied as a method of biological regeneration. Furthermore, pre-cooling (using cryotherapy chambers prior to physical exertion) has been proven to improve peak levels of performance and reduce post workout lactate levels. Globally, cryotherapy use in training and recovery centers has become the latest trend with national Olympic teams, professional sports teams, runners, and virtually every type of athlete to improve results and minimize injury related loss of workout time.

Metabolic Boost

Exposure to extreme cold during Cryotherapy tricks the body into thinking it’s going into hypothermia, causing it to boost its metabolic rate in order to maintain and increase heat production. This causes the body to burn between 500-800 extra calories. Cryotherapy may be the powerful training partner your weight-loss program needs.

Reference

Hohenauer, E., Taeymans, J., Baeyens, J., Clarys, P., & Clijsen, R. (2015). The Effect of Post-Exercise Cryotherapy on Recovery Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Plos ONE, 10(9), 1-22. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139028

DEHGHAN, M., & FARAHBOD, F. (2014). The Efficacy of Thermotherapy and Cryotherapy on Pain Relief in Patients with Acute Low Back Pain, A Clinical Trial Study. Journal Of Clinical & Diagnostic Research, 8(9), 1-4. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2014/7404.4818