Ice baths have long been used as a traditional method for the treatment of inflammation, muscle soreness, and over-exertion from sport or workouts. However, many find the experience uncomfortable and the effects limiting. Due to this, cryotherapy is swiftly becoming the go-to alternative to ice baths, so we’ve listed our top 5 reasons for that below:
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Whole body cryotherapy is a super quick and a less messy process
On average, to feel the full effects of an ice bath, treatment can take up to 20 minutes, immersed in freezing cold water. However, whole body cryotherapy is a much quicker process, a treatment lasts up to 3 minutes and, because it’s a dry environment, no time is needed for drying off after either. You are literally in and out in a matter of minutes.
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Whole body reaches lower temperatures
The temperatures of a CryoAction whole body cryotherapy chamber reach as low as -130°C compared with ice baths which average between 2-16°C (35- 60°F). Although a cryochamber is much colder, undergoing treatment is often reported to be a much more comfortable experience than ice baths. The ice bath experience involves a more uncomfortable penetrative type of cold with a need to build up a tolerance.
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Cryotherapy has additional health, wellness, and beauty benefits
Whole body cryotherapy can not only help with fitness, but the extreme cold temperatures also create a whole variety of other amazing health and wellbeing benefits, from helping to reduce anxiety and depression, to improving sleep patterns and even helping fight the symptoms of skin conditions, and chronic illnesses such as arthritis and fibromyalgia, plus so much more.
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No risk of infection or other water hygiene issues
If you share an ice bath, as some sporting teams do, then you open yourself up to the risk of possible hygiene issues leading to infection. However, despite whole body cryotherapy having multiuser options, the risk of these water-related issues is eliminated due to its dry environment. Using a cryochamber compared to an ice bath, also significantly reduces the risk of hypothermia.
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User take up is much more likely with Cryotherapy
Due to the ease, comfort, and additional benefits of whole body cryotherapy, take up is a lot higher than the use of traditional ice baths. A rest period of 12 – 24 hours is often required after an ice bath but, with cryotherapy, you can return to your regular activities pretty much straight away, and, if needed, have more than one session a day.
