What major forms of therapy have been created for athletes and how have they helped?
Textbook Article
Cole Finkbeiner
Cryotherapy is a new form of recovery for just about any athlete. This helps athletes’ bodies recover after performing at a high level and pushing their bodies to their limit. The chamber cools the body and helps to get the blood circulating again. The blood is then rushed towards the injured areas of the patient's body. Cryotherapy takes place in a chamber that is filled with air cooled with liquid nitrogen (Dillinger 62).
https://www.cnet.com/news/does-cryotherapy-work-for-muscle-recovery/
The Beginning of Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy was created in 1978 by the Japanese, who created the therapy in order to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Cryotherapy immediately became popular among patients and grew quickly throughout the world. The therapy was a major hit in Europe and many people flocked to try the futuristic looking technology. Although cryotherapy took a while to spread to the United States and has not become a major form of therapy until recently (Friger 1).
The Ice Pack
Cryotherapy is often compared to the very common ice pack. Cryotherapy is essentially a whole-body ice pack that has the ability to get much colder than any ice pack. The time it takes to use an ice pack is much greater than cryotherapy. An ice pack generally is used for 20 minutes directly on the injury of the athlete. Cryotherapy lasts only two to three minutes. Cryotherapy not only gets colder but cryotherapy is more time-effective. Many scientists believe that the closest therapy to cryotherapy is an ice bath which is still unable to compete with the temperature and quickness that cryotherapy has. (Dillinger 62).
The Process
This is what the average cryotherapy session looks like. The process of cryotherapy is taken very seriously by every nurse inside every cryotherapy center. This is what the average cryotherapy session looks like. Every appointment is conducted the same way., First, the patient will first remove their clothes in order to be exposed directly to the air. Protecting the body from extremely cold air is also an essential part of the treatment. The patient will be wearing only gloves and socks to protect their fingers and toes from becoming too cold. Some chambers cover the entire body and do not expose theyour head out of the top. Patients in those chambers must wear a hat to protectcover their ears from the cold air. Depending on the temperature and the type of chamber, the patient’s session will last about three minutes. Any longer than three minutes in the chamber will be harmful to the patient’s body and the patient could suffer serious health issues. Each session is monitored by a professional who knows in-depth how the machine works. The nurses are trained for emergencies and trained in medical techniques in case a patient suffers an injury in the chamber or after exiting the chamber. The chamber reaches extremely low temperatures due to the air being cooled by liquid nitrogen. These chambers can reach temperatures as low as -292 degrees Fahrenheit (184 degrees Celsius). The price of each session varies based on the practice the patient visits and the chamber the patient uses. Each session can cost anywhere from $75-$90. Professional athletes are able to receive this therapy for free sometimes (Dillinger 62).
https://balance.media/cryotherapy-111-cryo-review/
The Purpose of Cryotherapy
The main goal of cryotherapy is to put the body in shock, thereby forcing the body into survival mode. The body immediately moves all of the patient’s body’s blood to the center of the body in order to keep the patient’s organs warm and functioning. All of the blood is kept at the center until the session ends. Once the patient steps outside the chamber, the patient's body begins to warm back to its normal temperature. As the patient's body heats back up, the blood begins to rush back to the patient's limbs and where the blood originally flows to. The rushing back of blood helps the injured muscle to recover and build back the patient's muscle. The soreness and pain the patient receives from an injury or from a workout can also be helped by the blood that rushes back (Dillinger 62).
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Biological-effects-of-cryotherapy_fig1_323407815
Studies Into Cryotherapy
Many of the patients that try out and consistently undergo cryotherapy find the treatment to be very helpful for recovery from injuries. The patients continue to return to cryotherapy to help their aches and pains. With this being said, many scientists have done studies into the therapy and are unable to find true results in the body after consistent treatment. There is little scientific evidence to back what these patients are saying due to how new the therapy is, as. T the therapy has not been around long enough to truly test the benefits of cryotherapy. Health professionals are not sure of the true effects of cryotherapy and must continue to test it over time (Hulick 1).
The Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against cryotherapy, believing that the treatment is not safe for people to try because the risks are too great. The FDA says that liquid nitrogen can make breathing in the chamber hard. This is just one of the hazards the FDA cautions against. The FDA also says that there is a potential for frostbite due to the extremely low temperatures. The temperature is only a problem if gloves, socks, and possibly a hat are not worn in the chamber (Hulick 1).
The Risk of Cryotherapy
Frostbite is one of the major concerns when using cryotherapy. The low temperature of -292 degrees Fahrenheit can increase the risk of frostbite. Gloves, socks, and hats must be worn in the chamber in order to protect the fingers, toes, and ears from the extremely low temperatures. These are essential items when undergoing a session of cryotherapy. Loss of consciousness is also another major risk of cryotherapy. The air in the chamber is cooled by liquid nitrogen, which can make breathing in the chamber difficult. While in the chamber for about three minutes there is a possibility for the patient to pass out if the patient is unable to breathe properly. A heart attack is also a possibility while using cryotherapy. Although the chances are very unlikely,. Tthe possibility of this occurring is still present. If the patient suffers from heart disease, they have a chance of having a heart attack inside the chamber due to the cold temperatures (Firger 1).
Professional Use of Cryotherapy
Many professional athletes are starting to use cryotherapy to help their recovery. Athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. are beginning to incorporate cryotherapy into their training. These professional athletes are just a few of the professional athletes whothat have been testing out the potential benefits of cryotherapy out. Professional sports teams are beginning to put cryotherapy chambers into their locker rooms. These chambers are available for the players to use after workouts, practice, or a game. Cryotherapy is growing in popularity now that these teams are putting money into having this available to their players for free (Dillinger 62).
Annotated Bibliography
Drillinger, Meagan. "Brain freeze: cryotherapy heals your body by 'freezing' it in a metal tank. Science says otherwise." Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness, vol. 77, no. 10, Nov. 2016, p. 62+. Gale In Context: High School,https://link .gale.com/apps/doc/A470462769/GPS? u=va_p_wakef_s&sid=GPS&xid=ca549cc7. Accessed 5 Apr. 2020.
This article takes a deep look into the benefits of cryotherapy and also the risks. The author talks about all of the aspects of cryotherapy and the process. This will help me to do my next assignment to show all the benefits and the risks to cryotherapy.
Firger, Jessica. "Cryotherapy: Post-Workout Exposure to Extreme Cold Lacks Proven Benefits;The popularity of cryotherapy is growing, despite risks of asphyxiation, frostbite and severe burns." Newsweek, vol. 167, no. 22, 16 Dec. 2016. Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A473191522/GPS?u=va_p_wakef_s&sid=GPS&xid=51331550. Accessed 5 Apr. 2020.
Friger writes about the rise of cryotherapy and the large number of professional athletes that use cryotherapy. Friger writes about the replacement of ice packs and ice baths and consults scientists to see if the risk is too great. I believe that this will help to show what came before cryotherapy and if it is worth trying.
Hulick, Kathryn, and Matthew Billington. "READY FOR SOME CRYOTHERAPY?" Muse, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 2019, p. 47. Gale In Context: High School, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A576051487/GPS?u=va_p_wakef_s&sid=GPS&xid=85be4e71. Accessed 5 Apr. 2020.
This article takes a look into other journals and what they have to say on the topic of cryotherapy. The author also touches on what the FDA has to say about the form of therapy. I feel like incorporating what the FDA and other journals have to say about cryotherapy could help to show what cryotherapy is actually like.