Providing arthritis treatment with cryotherapy

We hear more and more about the benefits of cryotherapy, but is it efficient for arthritis treatment ? Originally cryotherapy was used for rheumatoid arthritis in Japan where the first whole body cryotherapy chamber was built in 1970; it took 10 years for this therapy to be introduced in Europe and another 20 years to be introduced in Australia and in America.

What is arthritis?

According to the Arthritis Foundation arthritis is a painful inflammation of the joints. It is not only one condition, there are about 100 types of arthritis and related condition, that is why although it’s very common, it is not well understood. In the US only, 50 million adults (and also 300 000 children) suffer from one form of arthritis or another and this is a condition that can only worsen with age. The symptoms include:

• Swelling
• Pain
• Stiffness
• Impaired motion

The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis which is a form of degenerative arthritis. But there are other forms also: infectious, inflammatory, metabolic arthritis.

Traditional arthritis treatment

The traditional treatments are a combination of

• Arthritis medication: prescription or OTC, Analgesics, anti-inflammatories, steroids…
• Self care: exercise, weight loss…
• Therapies: stretching, massage, acupuncture, hydrotherapy…
• Surgery: hip, knee or joint replacement
• Natural treatments: supplements, herbs, vitamins, minerals…
• Other treatments: heat and cold therapies.

Cryotherapy and arthritis treatment

First implemented in medical settings, Whole Body Cryotherapy or WBC is now found in state of the art venues and in health and wellness salons specialized in cryotherapy. Studies conducted by one of the first clinics in Germany using cryotherapy on inflammatory and noninflammatory rheumatic diseases show that whole body cryotherapy can be successfully used as a treatment for arthritis, polyarthritis as well as fibromyalgia and other effects of cryotherapy on joints , muscles and pains, and performance.
According to their research, many non-inflammatory diseases (tennis elbow, sciatica) have been put under the umbrella of rheumatism with inflammatory diseases and treated by heat therapy which worsened the pain and the symptoms. Now they are treated with cold therapy and cryotherapy.

There was cold water immersion and ice packs to help decrease inflammations, now there is cryotherapy. As for arthritis treatment, whole body cryotherapy is becoming increasingly popular as well. Between the serious studies conducted and the results seen by athletes (pro/star or otherwise) offering us knowledge about this relatively new form of therapy, at least in America, if you are suffering from inflammation due to one form of arthritis or another, adding cryotherapy to you habitual treatment can only increase your chances of living a pain free life.

Whether you need to improve overall well being, are looking for a painless physical therapy after an injury or surgery, or suffer from an inflammatory disease, San Diego Cryotherapy is the place to visit.
The only center in the area to be certified by Cryohealthcare Inc., San Diego Cryotherapy offers services of the utmost quality in terms of technology and safety standards.