After months of life in lockdown, it is unsurprising so many fitness lovers have flooded back to the gym, eager to resume their regular workout routine. Unfortunately, in their excitement to exercise at their pre-lockdown intensity, with no easing back into it, many are experiencing over-exertion and injury, sadly resulting in even more time away from the gym.
So, to help you, and your clients, we’ve pulled together 5 ways in which whole body cryotherapy can help clients to manage injury and recovery.
1.Inflammation Reduction
Cryotherapy’s cold temperature slows down the body’s metabolism at a cellular level, enabling the body to heal faster. It is widely known that excess inflammation can hinder the healing process and deters physiotherapists and massage therapists from working on the affected areas. Slowing the cellular metabolism also reduces cellular damage with the result meaning the need for the body to self-repair is reduced. So, if a client is at the point where inflammation is starting to cause an issue, a well-planned series of cryotherapy sessions can help to get them back on track.
2.Pain Relief
The application of cryotherapy slows down the activity in the nervous system, creating a numbing sensation and decreasing the pain receptors. This is a natural way for a client to reduce pain that might come with injury from doing too much at once without having to solely rely on over the counter pain relief drugs, such as paracetamol.
3.Muscle Damage Reduction
Studies have shown cryotherapy reduces the muscular damage caused by stressing the muscle fibres. Even a short-term exposure to the cold air inside a cryotherapy chamber has been found to enhance muscle fibre repair, limiting the damage at a cellular level and providing a degree of protection from damage in the short term. If timed correctly e.g. straight after intensive training, muscle damage can be managed.
4.Heart Health
Cryotherapy has positive benefits for heart health. Studies have shown that cryotherapy can help you to reduce oxidative stress, a primary cause of heart disease as well as enhancing your heart rate variability. Enabling your clients to manage stress better and feel better overall both while working out and with everyday life.
5.General Wellbeing
Whole body cryotherapy can give your clients a refreshed sense of wellbeing. It can lead to a substantial increase in the anaerobic capacity and flood the body with endorphins leaving a user feeling more energised and calmer. This can help in numerous ways, such as increasing energy levels, improving mood and focus, reducing feelings of anxiety and depression, and improving the body’s resistance to illness and disease. It also can lead to an increase in dopamine levels which have been shown to increase the depth, duration, and quality of sleep that many individuals experience, helping with the body’s recovery and the mental wellbeing of the individual.
