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How Long Should You Wait Between Cryotherapy Sessions?

by Robin Whyte

No matter whether you are an athlete, or a regular person, keeping our body in the greatest condition is something we all strive for. With a variety of therapeutic methods, this is surely achievable, however, cryotherapy has shown as extremely effective.

Although it seems highly uncomfortable exposing your body to cold conditions, cryotherapy is surely the best cold therapy method. It is quick and effective which makes it the most popular cold treatment.

How long should you wait between cryotherapy sessions is completely dependent on you. In this article, we’ll explain what this therapy method is, how long should you wait, and the benefits of doing it. Keep reading and find out more.

Explanation of cryotherapy

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Exposing any body part to freezing conditions for therapeutic purposes falls under the category of cryotherapy. Even the basic remedy of putting ice on any body region is a part of this therapeutical method.

While there are various alternatives to cold therapy, applicating it to the whole body is surely the most popular option among athletes. That is why you see headlines of players investing astronomical prices for private cold chambers that work with nitrogen.

The way the session works is by placing the patient inside the chamber where only their head sticks out. Then, gas with temperatures below zero is applied to the body where the reaction of our organism can be noted.

We first notice how our breathing becomes deeper, and the pulse is being increased. Our body thinks we are in a situation where it needs to protect itself, so there are changes in the diameter of our blood vessels. The ones from the periphery or the extremities get constricted, while the vessels around the organs become dilated. This is done for the reason to protect the organs from the cold.

In addition, there is the secretion of many anti-inflammation agents, as well as concentrating oxygen that gets to every part of the body. The metabolism is becoming quicker which helps in the weight loss process of the individual.

What is the correct session frequency

Determining how often you need to do the sessions is completely dependent on the results you want to achieve, and the health condition you are addressing. For that reason, you should consult with your doctor, and the specialists in the cryotherapy institute and get a customized treatment plan.

However, most of the institutes recommend one to three sessions in a week. For that reason, you should wait at least a day or two between a session, but feel free to adjust if needed.

The frequency is also determined depending on the results you pursue. For beauty and energizing purposes, one to two times a week is enough, however, athletes go from five days a week to multiple sessions in a day.

How long should the session last

Source: cnet.com

To achieve the results you wanted while preventing adverse effects, the sessions should be correctly timed. The longevity of the session correlates with the type of treatment.

For full-body treatments, you should be a maximum of 3 minutes inside the chamber. Facial therapy sessions go from ten minutes up to an hour. Applying cold locally also lasts around three minutes. However, you can rest a bit and repeat the session yourself, especially in sports injuries and sprains.

What happens after too many cold sessions

The intensity we put our bodies through is not the same as athletes. For that reason, they visit the chambers every day while generally, we should only do it from one to three times a week. By doing cryotherapy sessions more than needed, there are a couple of adverse effects that happen.

Since this therapeutical method means exposing our body to temperatures below 100° Celsius. That is why exposing your whole body lasts only three minutes. If you do it more, you will begin experiencing effects like numbing sensations, redness, irritation of your nerves, and tingling sensations.

Although these effects should not be felt, if the session does not last enough there will be no results. For that reason, you should communicate with the cryotherapy specialist. Adjust the longevity of the session keeping in mind not to pass the three-minute mark.

Benefits of cold treatments

You cannot consider going through cold treatments without understanding their benefits fully. For that reason, we prepared a small list of benefits that cryotherapy offers to its users.

  • Reduces inflammatory processes

Source: usnews.com

The first benefit of freezing treatments in reducing inflammatory processes in the body as suggested by adriameduae.com. Through various studies, it was shown that after the session, there is a decrease in inflammatory and increase in anti-inflammatory molecules in the blood of the respondent.

  • Alleviates pain and promotes mobility

Because the inflammatory particles are being decreased, the pain gets alleviated. This is surely beneficial in many physical and rheumatoid conditions such as arthritis and capsulitis. After a couple of days of treatment, most patients feel no pain and can function properly in combination with their physical therapy.

  • Quicker recovery

One of the most important aspects that this therapy method offers is the quicker recovery of the body after extensive training. This is the reason why all players are using the freezing treatment method after training and matches, so they can prepare their muscles for the next day.

  • Increases antioxidants and helps in oxidative stress

Source: dtapclinic.com.my

Cryotherapy has shown effective in decreasing oxidative stress. After a couple of treatment sessions, the markers that suggest this condition are significantly lowered. In addition, the levels of antioxidants are increased, which makes the person healthier and prevents certain diseases from happening.

  • Promotes mental health

Lastly, cryotherapy helps in promoting a good mood in its users. There were studies where participants suffering from various types of depression went to freezing therapy combined with the pills they use. In addition, it was shown to be great against anxiety and other conditions that need to be further examined.

Conclusion

While there are many benefits that this therapy method offers, there are still categories of people that should not do this. This includes pregnancy, chronic high blood pressure, people with heart and lung problems, and people with nerve problems.

For that reason, be sure to contact your doctor, or ask the cryotherapy specialist for advice and anything that interests you. Being informed timely is essential for maintaining safety, and knowledge of the results you should be expecting.

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