Stand in a cold chamber at -110 °C in a bathing suit? What sounds unimaginable and anything but fun at first glance is, however, extremely effective. The cold therapy also known as cryotherapy, originally comes from the therapeutic therapeutic or medical medical field, but in recent times has increasingly become a Fitness trend and is becoming more and more popular. Did you know that it gets as cold as in cold chambers even in the deepest winter nowhere in the world? What else is interesting to learn about this form of therapy, read below!
What is cryotherapy?
"Cryo" comes from the Greek and means "cold" - consequently, cryotherapy specifically uses cold to treat various conditions. Cold therapy was invented in the late 1970s by Japanese physician Toshima Yamauchi, who used it to treat rheumatism.
What is the process of going to a cold chamber? Usually, at the beginning of the session, the patient first stays in a pre-chamber to get used to the low temperatures at -60 °C before going to the main chamber, where the temperature is cooled down to -110 °C with the help of liquid nitrogen. The duration of stay in the cold chamber is a maximum of three minutes.
Important during the treatment: the patient must enter the cold chamber in bathing clothes, with mouth and ear protection, gloves, socks, closed shoes (without metal) and without jewelry, watch and glasses. Skin and hair must be dry and nothing must be touched inside the chamber. Also, quick movements should be avoided - most patients walk slowly in circles during the treatment.
Cold chamber therapy is generally well tolerated, even for the elderly. However, caution is advised if you suffer from heart, lung or vascular diseases, as well as high blood pressure. Then treatment under such extreme temperatures is strongly discouraged.
Using cold to combat disease
Cryotherapy has so far been used mainly by clinics or practices in the therapeutic field to relieve the symptoms of rheumatism or chronic pain patients. Severe joint and muscle pain can be treated in the cold chamber, because the extreme cold creates a kind of "distraction pain" that distracts from the actual joint pain.
However, cold therapy has long since been used not only for such types of illnesses, but also for multiple sclerosis or skin diseases such as psoriasis and neurodermatitis. Depression, anxiety disorders and burnout can also be managed with sub-zero temperatures. However, all this is less researched and scientifically proven than the use of cold therapy in the pain area.
Cryotherapy is also gaining popularity in the non-medical field, especially among competitive athletes who go to the cold chamber after intense workouts to prevent muscle discomfort. Or they use the cold before an exertion to boost their performance in the short term. Bundesliga soccer clubs such as FC Bayern Munich and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, for example, already have their own cold chambers.
In addition, going to the cold chamber is recommended for those who want to lose weight as quickly and easily as possible, as this stimulates the metabolism and blood circulation.
CRYO AIR from Sinus Medical
A cold chamber that promises good results is the CRYO AIR from Sinus Medical. Unlike other cold chambers, it works without liquid nitrogen. This eliminates the need to constantly change gas tanks and keep them in stock, which keeps costs much lower. The CRYO AIR cold chamber is therefore safe, can be used at any time and can be operated cost-effectively. By using high quality compressors and a compressor, temperatures are kept stable and electricity costs are kept low at the same time. The Sinus Medical cold chamber is available in various designs and sizes, also via fitnessmarkt.de - even directly from the manufacturer!
Editorial fitnessmarkt.de (SIS)
Image source: Sinus Medical
Published on: 19 October 2017