Cryotherapy, also known as cold therapy, works by reducing blood flow to a particular area, significantly reducing inflammation and swelling that causes pain, especially around a joint or a tendon. It can numb pain, by temporarily reducing nerve activity, helping in the treatment of pinched and irritated nerves, chronic pain and acute injuries.
A cryocuff (or cold compress), similar to the cuff of a blood pressure monitor, is wrapped around the swollen or painful body area, filled with ice cold fluid. The cold compression helps decrease pain, swelling, and muscle spasms and is particularly effective and beneficial in the early stages of treatment for acute soft tissue injuries such as:
- impact injury causing swelling or bruising
- ligament injury
- muscle injury
Benefits
- lowers the metabolic rate at the injury site, helping the tissue to recover
- pain relief
- reduced swelling
- reduced bleeding or bruising
- reduced muscle spasm
- helps in recovery and rehabilitation post-exercise
