Medical Evidence Supporting Cryotherapy as an Effective Pain Reliever for Patients with Rheumatoid Diseases

 So many of my clients have an autoimmune disorder – and I’ve never met a group of people who accomplish so much with the deck stacked against them. Pain, swelling, fatigue – they deal with all of it, often to debilitating levels, and still manage to take care of their loved ones, work and get through the day. I absolutely love being part of their pain relief, recovery and healing.
They deserve to feel better… and I see how cryotherapy makes that happen! Still, I’m all about scientific support for the anecdotal evidence that walks in and out of our doors daily – so I was excited to discover a German study that clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of whole-body cryotherapy for patients with rheumatoid and autoimmune diseases.
In the article, “Whole-body Cryotherapy in Rehabilitation of Patients with Rheumatoid Diseases,” published in the journal, “Rehabilitation,” a large group of patients – 120 people! – who were suffering from fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic low back pain, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, secondary fibromyalgia and other autoimmune diseases were provided with whole-body cryotherapy, similar to the treatment available at ICE Recovery & Wellness.
The study’s results were astounding, but no surprise to me – because I see these successes daily. According to the report, “The pain level after application of the cold therapy decreases significantly.” Further, the pain reduction, “facilitates intensive application of physiotherapy and occupational therapy.”
Here’s my favorite part: “The treatment procedure is practicable and all in all well tolerated. From the patients’ point of view, whole-body cold therapy is an essential part of the rehabilitation programme.”
What does that really mean? In layman’s terms, cryotherapy has been shown to dramatically reduce pain, which explains why so many of our clients stop taking prescription and over-the-counter pain relievers. Additionally, cryotherapy is an incredible addition to a patient’s physical therapy treatments – allowing pt to occur more intensely and frequently. Most importantly, the study’s researchers concluded that cryotherapy is “well tolerated” (We promise – you can do this!) and “an essential part” of rehab.
Troy Yudin is the owner of ICE Recovery & Wellness. ICE is located at 27560 Newhall Ranch Road in Valencia. For more information call us at 661-904-4412 or go to www.icerandw.com.