Category: Athletes/Athletic Departments

 
Most athletes, weekend warriors and fitness enthusiasts experience an exercise-related injury at some point in their lives. When faced with the dreaded sprained ankle, bout of tendonitis,  pulled muscle, or any other work-out induced impairment, these 5 steps can help improve the recovery process.

Rest
A key component in proper healing post-injury is rest. Pain is a signal that your body is in distress — it is important to cease activity upon experiencing an injury. Experts have noted that during the first 2 days following the initial injury you should rest as much as possible.

Giving your body ample time to recover is vital, however, it is important to keep in mind that rest is relative. You can remain active without putting stress on the injured area.

Rehab
I.C.E. (ice, compression, and elevation) is a tried-and-true tool for aiding in the rehab of injuries. The application of cold and use of compression can help reduce pain and swelling. Elevation of the injury decreases the risk for internal bleeding and bruises and also helps reduces pain.

Pro tip: Trade in the ice pack for whole body cryotherapy. Whole body cryotherapy provides similar benefits as icing and is said to improve overall wellness and facilitate natural healing.

 
Consulting a doctor is important as well, especially if it is a significant injury. Physical therapy and chiropractic care may be necessary.

Attitude
It’s common to feel frustrated, angry and even depressed after an injury. Allow yourself an appropriate amount of post-injury grieving but remember that staying in a funk for too long can negatively impact your recovery time. 

Try and stay positive about your rehab plan and focus on your perspective — the injury may seem like a big deal in the present but when you look back on it, it’ll be a small blip on your radar.

Modify Your Workouts
With the approval of your doctor, adjust your workout routine by implementing exercises that do not put stress on your injury. Low-impact activities including yoga, swimming, and even light cycling are excellent options. It may be beneficial to include cross-training in your workout regimen as cross-training allows you to focus on multiple parts of your body.

Preventative Measures
Be mindful of your injury and take proper precautions to help decrease the chances of getting hurt again. Stretching pre and post workout, properly engaging in muscle recovery activities and incorporating natural anti-inflammatories into your diet can aid in injury prevention.

Bonus step: rev up your wellness routine! Focusing on your total well-being can help you recover from injuries faster and help lessen your chances of experiencing another. Find out how holistic healing experiences, like whole body cryotherapy, can help improve your wellness.

Everyone’s Curious…What is a Cryosauna?

What is a cryosauna? Also known as a cryotherapy machine (and often mistaken as a cryo chamber), a cryosauna is a type of equipment used to administer cryotherapy sessions.

Often described as resembling a stand-up tanning bed, cryosaunas are designed to create a comfortable cold therapy experience. Unlike cryotherapy chambers, they are built with a strategic opening at the top to allow participants to breathe freely – eliminating the feeling of claustrophobia.

At Impact Cryotherapy, our products are custom built right here in the U.S. to be the safest and highest-quality cryosaunas in the industry – in fact, our entire line of machines have earned CE and ETL certifications. Our industry-leading Smart Sauna software simplifies the user interface and even integrates a monitoring system with built-in safety protocols. The direct communication from the software to the technician exceeds current safety standards and ensures sessions are replicated without fail.

If you’re looking for a cryotherapy location near you, check out our Cryosauna Locator today!

 

You’ve likely heard about the holistic benefits of cryotherapy reported by athletes, but what about for those suffering from arthritis? One out of every five US adults is currently dealing with the pain and discomfort associated with this chronic disease. In honor of May being National Arthritis Awareness Month, we want to explore how those suffering from this chronic disease use cold therapy (like cryo)  to help with their pain management.

The Arthritic Origins of Cryotherapy

While the use of cold therapy for injury and inflammation can be dated back as far back as 2500 BCE, whole body cryotherapy (or “WBC”) as we know it today originated in Japan back in 1978. Discovered by Dr. Toshima Yamaguchi, the treatment was first used to ease the pain and discomfort associated with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disorder that occurs when your immune system attacks its own tissue. Dr. Yamaguchi discovered that freezing therapy had the power to release endorphins in his patients and decrease their overall sensitivity to pain.

Arthritis By The Numbers

With more than 54.4 million Americans diagnosed with Arthritis, it is the most common disability in the United States. Arthritis is a general term that accounts for more than 100 joint inflammation conditions and diseases. This rheumatic condition is known to cause significant pain and is usually accompanied by stiffness, aching, or swelling. Symptoms can occur suddenly or build up overtime and are generally caused by injury, genes, immune system dysfunction, infections, or metabolism abnormalities.

The pain associated with arthritis is chronic, meaning it will last for six months or more. In some cases, like with rheumatoid arthritis, the pain lasts for life and will chronically progress. This pain is wreaking havoc on many people’s quality of life. In fact, one-third of those diagnosed with arthritis are limited in the type of work they can pursue, the number of hours they can work, or their ability to work at all.

Despite significant improvements in therapy, a cure has yet to be discovered. As such, learning to manage arthritis pain is an essential part of living with and treating the disease. Sadly, many sufferers are not sure how to reduce their symptoms and relieve the pain.

Impact of Cold Therapy on Arthritis

The Arthritis Foundation says that two of the simplest, least expensive yet most effective methods for pain relief are heat and cold therapy – they recommend using cold therapy for acute pain. Check out this article from Arthritis Health on When and Why to Apply Cold Therapy for more information.

Cryotherapy – An Alternative Approach

While cryotherapy cannot cure arthritis, preliminary studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that it could help ease the pain and inflammation associated with this debilitating condition due to the fact it is a form of cold therapy. While this is a relatively new treatment and research is ongoing, a recent industry survey with over 300 respondents found that whole body cryotherapy participants reported the #1 benefit was pain relief.

The Future of Arthritis

As Baby Boomers continue to age, the prevalence of arthritis is expected to increase in the next few decades. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention an estimated 78.4 million (25.9% of the US adult population) will be diagnosed with arthritis by 2040. That’s a significant increase compared to the 54.4 million suffering today. While you can’t always prevent arthritis, you can pursue healthy habits to decrease your risk of developing painful joints.

If you are suffering from arthritis, know that you are not alone. Head over to Arthritis Foundation to learn more about how you can get involved during National Arthritis Month. Or, if you are interested in learning more about cryotherapy and how it can help with natural healing and wellness, go here.

 

So, you understand what whole body cryotherapy is – but how do you experience it?

Whole body cold therapy is administered using whole body cryotherapy equipment — and although there are various types of cryotherapy machines, including whole body cryotherapy chambers, many users prefer to chill for 3-minutes in a cryosauna.

Cryotherapy Operator Opens Cryosauna Door Before Cryo Session

Cryo machines utilize a cooling resource, typically nitrogen gas, to create the extremely cold temperatures necessary for whole body cryotherapy. The machine fills with nitrogen vapor, generating a dry chill that drops the ambient temperature to a range of -90 Celsius (-130ºF) to -120 Celsius (-184ºF). To experience cryotherapy, participants stand inside the cryotherapy machine for 3-minutes and are surrounded by a cool vapor — this is what is called a “cryotherapy session.” To learn more about what a cryotherapy session entails, click here.

Ready to experience whole body cryotherapy?

Whole body cryotherapy, aka cold therapy, has become increasingly popular among professional athletes, celebrities, fitness enthusiasts, chronic pain sufferers and even the everyday person – but why? According to a 2016 industry survey with over 300 respondents, cryotherapy goers have reported that a 3-minute chill session in the Impact cryosauna provides them the following benefits:

Pain Management

Have you ever put an ice pack on a sprained ankle to reduce swelling and ease the pain? Although not scientifically proven, conceptually, cryotherapy helps achieve similar results – but instead of focusing on a single area, it’s a whole body experience.

Podcaster and bio-hacking enthusiast, Joe Rogan, has been utilizing cryotherapy for years to help alleviate aches and pains.

Workout Recovery

If you’re an athlete, you’re most likely familiar with ice baths. The goal of an ice bath is to use cold temperatures to reduce inflammation and speed-up the muscle recovery process. Cryotherapy, is essentially an ice bath on steroids, however, it takes half the time – and there’s no cold water immersion involved.

Many professional sports teams and collegiate athletic programs have implemented cryotherapy in their training rooms as an ice bath alternative.

Mental Well-being

A 2008 clinical trial found that taking a cold shower 2-3x a week can help relieve symptoms of depressions. Exposing the body to cold temperatures is said to help the release of endorphins, the “happiness” hormones. Like cold showers, cryotherapy surrounds the body in extremely low temperatures thus providing many of the same benefits as a cold shower.

Weight Management

Many scientists believe that exposure to cold temperatures can help produce brown fat – the type of fat that utilizes more calories to keep the body warm and burn extra body fat. Although there is no direct correlation between weight loss and cryotherapy, many cryotherapy users have found that doing cryotherapy on a regular basis has helped them achieve their weight loss goals.

Whole Body Wellness

Specific benefits aside, whole body cryotherapy is an excellent complement to anyone’s wellness routine. Whether you’re trying to get in shape, look younger, or simply feel better, cryotherapy can help you achieve your wellness goals.

Ready to experience the benefits of cryotherapy?

To further enhance the Impact Cryotherapy client experience, we launched the Impact Cryotherapy Customer Resource Portal earlier this year. Used by hundreds of Impact Cryotherapy clients, the Customer Resource Portal houses a library of videos and documents for Training + Certification, troubleshooting, service + repair, nitrogen gas and marketing (coming soon). The portal also includes an online store for fast and easy access to order parts, supplies and accessories.

“The Impact Cryotherapy operator training video on Impact’s Customer Resource Portal is convenient and easy to use. With 22 team members who are also firefighters/paramedics, we would never have been able to get them all together for training & certification. This valuable resource made it so easy!”
– Ashlin S., Regional Business Manager, Revive Therapy Center

 

The portal is easy to use and available only to Impact Cryotherapy clients. Need assistance registering? Contact our support team. For more information, download our portal overview!

Whole Body Cryo – the 411:

So you’ve heard buzz about whole body cryo— professional athletes, like Michael Phelps and Dak Prescott use it in place of an ice bath,  Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel and other celebs have been spotted frequenting cryotherapy machines in an effort to keep their youthful glow —but what exactly is it?

Cryotherapy is the practice of using cold temperatures to promote natural healing and wellness — it dates to ancient civilizations. There are various modern applications of cryotherapy including cryo facials, localized cryotherapy and whole body cryotherapy, the most popular type of cryo.

Developed in 1978 by Dr. Toshima Yamauchi to treat rheumatoid arthritis, whole body cryotherapy uses a temperature range of -90 Celsius (-130ºF) to -120 Celsius (-184ºF) to hyper-cool the body for 3-minutes — similar to how athletes use ice baths or how you would ice a sprained ankle.  Cool, right?

If you’re looking to add cryotherapy to your existing menu of services, check out our blog post on How to Monetize Unused Space.

In episode 7 of the Cool Cast, we chat with our very own Service + Support Director, Rob Syvertson. Rob provides valuable insight into the service side of the cryotherapy industry and why it’s important to work with a cryotherapy team that offers ongoing support.

Want to know more about Impact Cryotherapy’s Service + Support Team?

 

Take a deeper look into the cryotherapy industry with Gabriel Messuti of  Summus Body | Mind and Impact Cryotherapy’s Evan Hugall and Matt Porter. Learn why Messuti decided to invest with Impact Cryotherapy and hear real insight and educate yourself about the climate of the cryotherapy industry — and its players.

Tune in Now

Tune into Episode 182 of the 18STRONG podcast to learn from Impact Cryotherapy’s Dr. Melvin Deese and Evan Hugall about the surge of increased use of cryotherapy for athletes that has evolved from an age old practice; cold therapy.

In recent years, cryotherapy machines have been studied and used in an effort to treat inflammation and enhance recovery amongst general population clients and athletes alike.  As of recently, there have been noted very possible benefits of the modality not just for rehabilitative and preventative use, but also for enhanced performance in the training room and on sports fields.

Want to know more about whole body cryotherapy?