home Audience 3 Cryotherapy: what treats extreme cold. Why does cold therapy work? How does general cryotherapy work?

Cryotherapy: what treats extreme cold. Why does cold therapy work? How does general cryotherapy work?

Cold treatment of joints, or cryotherapy, is questionable for many. And no wonder. After all, from childhood, our parents teach us, like fire, to fear hypothermia and colds, carefully wrapping us in warm sweaters and scarves. It's just warming up! It’s familiar and understandable: if you’re cold and sick, you need to warm up well. However, from a physiological point of view, not everything is so simple. And warming up is not always for the good, and cold is not necessarily harmful, but quite the opposite - it can be a healer for many diseases, including. And mechanisms healing effect low temperatures are well known today.

How do heat and cold affect sore joints?

Warming up joints is recommended only for early stages, bye to destructive processes hasn't joined yet chronic inflammation. However, when the destruction of the joint has already become pronounced and is accompanied by acute inflammation, its overheating can only aggravate the course of the disease.

For arthritis, which is always based on inflammation, thermal procedures are recommended only at the stage of remission, but in no case during exacerbation. Caution should always be used when using heat, as it can increase inflammatory reactions.

How does cold work? Prolonged hypothermia often provokes inflammation in the back and joints. “It’s blown,” we say. However, cold here plays the role of a provocative factor, while the root cause of the disease lies in the disruption of metabolic processes, blood circulation (microcirculation) and spasms of muscles and blood vessels. And inflammation is a painful response of soft tissues to all these disorders caused hormonal disorders, physical inactivity, poor posture and/or unbalanced nutrition.

What is cold treatment of joints based on? The short-term stressful effect of cold on the body, in contrast to the long-term one, on the contrary, can turn on healing mechanisms. A sharp cooling of the body or part of it, according to the law of thermoregulation, leads to a powerful release of heat by the body. The internal warming effect activates blood circulation, metabolism and tissue nutrition. Thanks to this, swelling subsides, pain decreases, nutrition and reparative processes in the joints are improved. In addition, rapid cold shock promotes the production of stress proteins that protect our body from ischemic damage, pathological cell degeneration and other disorders. The immunostimulating properties of cold are also well known.

How to treat cold joints with arthritis and arthrosis?

General cryotherapy (for the whole body) involves the use of special cryochambers, immersion in ice water (for 5 seconds) or under (up to 20 seconds). Local (local) procedures can also be carried out either using special equipment or at home using improvised means. Which ones exactly?

Cold water. Can be used both in baths and as a jet. For example, if your hands hurt, you can immerse it in the bath for 15 seconds, then wipe it dry and wait 3 minutes. Repeat such dives with breaks up to 10 times. The procedure can be done up to 5 times per day.
Ice. Apply to the affected joint as a compress for 5–7 seconds. Afterwards, rub vigorously with a towel.
Saline solution in a vacuum bag. 100 g cooked or sea salt dilute in a liter of water. Since highly salty water freezes at lower temperatures than 0 ᵒC, such a cryopack will better fit the sore joint.

After cryoprocedures, the rush of blood to the cooled areas usually gives a feeling of heat. It is recommended to keep this warmth longer, for which you should wrap the joint tightly and let it rest completely.

Cold treatment is contraindicated in the presence of acute infectious-inflammatory, colds, acute intoxications, cold allergies, epilepsy and a tendency to seizures.

How to make cold treatment more effective?

Needs to be restored. not only expand the range of motion, but also reduce the risk of spasms of blood vessels and muscles during freezing and draft, since muscle activity heals the capillaries. Although exercises pose a serious threat, and it is better to avoid them.

To cleanse blood vessels and restore their elasticity, you can add plants rich in flavonoids (rutin, quercetin, etc.) to your diet. So natural antioxidants, among which the reference is, fight free radical processes - companions of inflammation. They will help improve the nutrition of periarticular tissues and cartilage. And the birth of new cartilage cells - chondrocytes - is stimulated by substances contained in ordinary.

Of course, the restoration of cartilage is a long process and requires the correction of a number of factors, but if you have patience and optimism, both arthrosis can be stopped, their course can be made less rapid and not so painful. Be healthy and remember that yours is 90% in your own hands!

USEFUL TO KNOW:

ABOUT JOINT DISEASES

Human history contains many examples of use cold water and ice to prolong beauty and active longevity. Field Marshal Suvorov wet himself every day cold water, and Catherine the Second wiped her face with ice. Well, our ancestors - residents of the northern regions - especially could not help but appreciate healing power frost: just remember swimming in an ice hole, rubbing with snow after a hot bath, hardening by dousing with ice water.

By the way, these Russian amusements in former times greatly amazed visiting foreigners, who were amazed at both such customs and the enviable health of our compatriots.

History of cryotherapy

The end of the twentieth century was marked by a qualitative change in the approach to using the rejuvenating effect of cold on the human body; natural agents ice and cold water were replaced by procedures based on the use of extremely low temperatures - cryotherapy.

IN official medicine The concept of “cryotherapy” (cold treatment) was introduced a hundred years ago by the German doctor Sebastian Knein. He, seriously ill with pneumonia, bathed in icy waters Danube and... began to get better.

However, Japan is considered the birthplace of modern cryotherapy. Japanese scientists needed to solve a difficult problem - to find an opportunity to restore mobility, reduce joint pain and improve general health sick. “Gaseous environments of low temperatures” came to the rescue, or simply put, a mixture of liquid nitrogen vapor and air - from −120 to −180 degrees - they made it possible to accomplish real revolution V medical world. It was in the land of the rising sun in the 70s of the last century that the Japanese scientist Toshima Yamauchi first used cold in the treatment of rheumatism and received very good results: Almost 80% of his clinic's patients have returned to normal, healthy lives.

Cryotherapy - cold treatment

The fact is that in human skin there are 2 types of nerve endings that are sensitive to cold. Some are responsible for creating an immediate response from the body to reducing skin temperature to the extreme permissible level. Here you get goosebumps (an atavistic attempt to fluff up the fur), and an increase muscle tone, And powerful stimulation nervous system... For example, thanks to these receptors, being in a special chamber at −150 degrees makes you lose up to 100 kcal per minute. Receptors of the second type (available only in humans and higher primates) are responsible for the subjective state of thermal comfort. Their “readings” depend on the initial body temperature, wind speed or the body’s hardening. For example, the feeling “I’m cold” is also dictated by these receptors.

Cryopools and cryosaunas are created taking into account the optimal response of these two groups of receptors. Cryotherapy takes place in a special cryochamber, which cools the gas or mixture of gases to desired temperature(the gas temperature may approach the mark - 160 - 180 degrees). Depending on the design, this can be a cryopool (cryosaunas designed for individual procedures and similar to a cabin, where the patient is immersed up to the shoulders, group cryosaunas (up to 5 people) and cryotoriums (a room for 6 - 12 patients). Preparation for the procedure takes about 5 minutes The procedure itself takes from 1 to 3.5 minutes.

Local cryotherapy is also used: part of the patient’s body is covered with cooling elements or blown with a stream of cooled air.

The effectiveness of the procedure depends on the dynamics of heat removal and the duration of cooling. The duration of the procedure is selected individually, depending on the patient’s constitution and the number of procedures already completed.

On average, a general health course of cryotherapy is 10–12 procedures, which are carried out twice a day, every day, every other day and every two days - depending on the indications.

Here are the main diseases for which these procedures are indicated: allergies, psoriasis, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, immunodeficiencies, etc.

Cryotherapy has found particular application in cosmetology, as it provides a rejuvenating, restorative and overall healing effect not only on individual areas of influence, but also on the body as a whole. After a few days, the skin loses cellulite and becomes smooth and fresh. Blood supply to the skin improves, stimulates metabolic processes, cell renewal occurs faster.

In addition, such stressful situation It forces the body to quickly get rid of excess calories, so general cryotherapy is considered one of the effective methods of weight loss.

Contraindications for use are conditions with high temperature, spicy infectious diseases, tuberculosis, diabetes, cardiovascular failure and some other conditions in which accelerating metabolism may be unnecessary.

Video about cryotherapy

Cryotherapy at home

How can you make a universal treatment device at home? A cryopack will help you with this. These simple devices can be made from available materials and are available to everyone. But when making and using cryopackages, you must follow some rules, otherwise you may not only fail to achieve therapeutic effect, but also get frostbite.

A cryopack is a heating pad in reverse. There are industrial cryopackages - plastic containers filled with liquid with a low melting point, but you can make a cryopackage yourself.

Use a rubber heating pad or cold compress bottle. Prepare water solution salt at the rate of 120 grams of salt per liter of water. The freezing point of salt water is 3–4 degrees below zero - this is quite enough for primary therapeutic effect ice in a cryo bag. Place the heating pad in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. After 2–3 hours, the solution in the heating pad will completely freeze. After this, you can proceed to the procedures.

Remove the heating pad from the refrigerator and wait until at least a little liquid appears in it again (this can be determined by hearing by shaking). Wrap the heating pad in a dry cloth and apply it to the sore spot.

So, with light massaging movements you need to apply the package to the sore spot or to its corresponding areas on the arms, legs or face. After 2-3 minutes the skin will turn red. During the first procedure, the heating pad is applied to one place for no more than 3 minutes. At first blood vessels on a short time contract, then expand for a long time, and blood rushes to the sore spot. Having put the cryopack aside, you should insulate the reddened area of the skin, rest for 10-15 minutes until the skin restores its original color (rest time individually - from 2 to 15 minutes). Then you need to repeat the procedure again until the skin turns red, sore spot needs to be wrapped up long time, and remove the ice and water with gratitude.

Make sure that the napkin remains dry and that there are solid ice particles in the heating pad. During one session, you can apply the package to one place no more than 3 times, and the time between applications should be at least 10 minutes.

With the help of such a simple manipulation, many ailments are treated. Honey, clay, juices, and herbal decoctions are added to the water to enhance the healing effect.

What happens under the influence of a cryopackage?

During contact with the cryopackage, the skin temperature in the treatment area decreases to 0 degrees Celsius. If you hold the bag longer, you can “earn” frostbite. Carefully monitor the effects within 24 hours after the procedure. If they appear signs of lung frostbite, namely: itching, prolonged (more than 3 hours) redness, contact time should be reduced or the thickness of the napkin should be increased. Cryotherapy sessions are repeated after 3-4 hours, as needed. Be attentive and careful, and then home cryotherapy will help you in the fight against illnesses.

Self-medication with cold

When self-medicating with cryopaks, you need to keep the following in mind:

the method is safe if you do not delay the time of exposure to ice (that is, apply it strictly until the skin turns red);
do not cool your hands (protect with mittens); do not apply used ice to another place, but throw it away;
do not place several cryopackages at the same time; do not allow moisture to form above the cryopackage (put another film on the wet cryopackage);
the frequency of applications should be no more than one to three times a day;
intolerance to cold should be overcome by training;
Some diseases require sequential application of applications in two places - on the sore spot (or the area where it corresponds) and on the stomach.

Below are ice patterns for some common conditions:

Disease	Place of application of cryopackages
Alcohol addiction	Back of the head
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint	Knee (3 minutes daily)
Asthma	Stomach
Ankylosing spondylitis	Collar area, abdomen
Phlebeurysm	Vienna
Sinusitis	Cheeks
Haemorrhoids	Sacrum, abdomen
Hypertension	Collar area, belly (one at a time)
Diabetes	Pancreas area
Constipation	Belly (circle clockwise)
Climax	Collar area, abdomen
Spastic colitis	Spine
Mastopathy	Breast
Myoma	Sacrum, abdomen
Wrinkles	Leather
Neurodermatitis	Leather
Edema	Leather
Polyarthritis of the joints	Joint, then stomach
Prostatitis	Sacrum, abdomen
Sclerosis	Back of the head, stomach
Acne	Skin (especially effective in a bath)

Video about how to treat joints with cold

Most women know that applying a piece of ice to their face can reduce puffiness under the eyes, making the skin feel softer to the touch and take on a more natural color.

But not everyone realizes that this procedure refers to cryotherapy methods, in which exposure to cold is used for treatment and rejuvenation by both doctors and cosmetologists.

Cryotherapy - what it is, its application in medicine and cosmetology, methods and mechanism of conducting sessions, before and after photos, video procedures for the face and hair, prices and much more we will learn from this article.

Cryotherapy is the activation of metabolic processes, adjustment and treatment cosmetic defects using extreme cold. The entire body or parts of it may be affected.

During the procedure, the body experiences temperatures reaching up to -160°C for a short time.

The resulting shock stimulates metabolic processes, accelerates blood flow and cleanses blood vessels, normalizes muscle tone and strengthens the nervous system.

At low temperatures, vascular tone changes significantly. The capillaries experience a sharp spasm. This reaction causes an attempt to retain heat, necessary for the body. In order not to cause harm, the time spent in this state is strictly dosed to two to three minutes.

At the next stage, the exposure to cold stops. The capillaries expand sharply, abruptly increasing blood flow to various bodies. This is the effect of treatment.

Arterial blood saturated with oxygen and nutrients, gives the body a stimulus, which manifests itself in accelerating the processes of nutrition, regeneration and elimination of toxins.

Kinds

Cryotherapy can be of four types:

general;
private;
local;
cryomassage.

The general procedure is carried out in a cryochamber, where the skin is subjected to thermal stress, cooling its surface to zero degrees with sprayed liquid nitrogen.

A sharp temperature contrast activates hidden protective capabilities and internal processes without harm to the skin.

For this purpose, from 5 to 15 courses are carried out. To avoid freezing your limbs and respiratory system, use wool-based socks and mittens, and on the face gauze bandage. Such sessions have a rejuvenating effect on the entire body.

For local treatment, liquefied nitrogen is used on certain areas of the body or face. This promotes skin regeneration, healing of scars, wounds, and inflammatory processes.

Cryomassages also act locally, but are performed using wooden sticks with cotton wool treated with liquid nitrogen.

The tampon is brought close to the skin, but does not touch it, this way the skin of the body and face is rejuvenated and metabolic processes are accelerated.

Private cryotherapy uses cold in the home.

Application

The main areas where cryotherapy is used are medicine and cosmetology. In addition to the general strengthening effect, the following diseases are cured by the action of low temperatures:

Chronic forms of tonsillitis. The affected tonsil tissue is frozen. The operation is effective and safe and is performed as an alternative to the surgical method.
Pharyngitis. Executed under local anesthesia over several procedures, but in some cases one is enough.
Rhinitis. Used for catarrhal and allergic form, difficulty breathing, congestion and purulent discharge.
Adenoids. It is carried out with a special nozzle. Reduces formations in size, normalizing breathing.
Gynecological procedures (cervical erosions).
Skin diseases.

In cosmetology, the use of cold comes down to the following basic procedures:

and papillomas. It is carried out painlessly by cauterization with liquefied nitrogen. After removal there are no scars or scars left.
Cryomassage and cryopilling.

After the sessions, note:

, disappearance of lymphedema;
improvement of capillary microcirculation, increase in arterial blood flow;
decrease in basic muscle tone, elimination of muscle contractures;
improvement of trophism of bones and cartilage;
increased pain threshold;
activation of regenerative processes.

Mechanism

Before an aerocryotherapy session, a person, having undressed to his swimming trunks, takes an air bath, during which the skin is cooled and sweat glands come back to normal. To do this, the room temperature is maintained at 20°C.

During the entire procedure, breathing occurs with outside air. The temperature is set from -130 to -160°C with a duration of 120-210 seconds.

The first procedure is done for a minimum amount of time and with each subsequent one it is gradually increased. You can perform two cryoprocedures on one day or combine two different types with breaks of 2-3 hours. After the session is completed, they check arterial pressure and count your pulse.

The local effect during the cryotherapy procedure is produced by the cooling head of a special device that generates a thermoelectric effect on the affected area.

The procedure lasts up to 10 minutes with a head temperature of -5-10°C. In addition to this, the area is blown with a mixture of nitrogen and air with temperatures down to -60°C through a special pipe. The session lasts up to 20 minutes.

Removal of growths and tumors is carried out with nitrogen or argon, the ultra-low temperature of which has a detrimental effect on tissues and cells. They are applied with a swab or spray.

The procedure involves several stages during which the unwanted tissue freezes and thaws, leading to its death. After this the action ends the immune system, processing dead tissue.

We bring to your attention a video of a procedure that uses local cold exposure:

Who can and cannot

Cryotherapy will be useful for all people with good health as a general health remedy.

Cryotherapy will help those who have the following problems:

excess weight and cellulite;
unsuccessful treatment of skin diseases;
treatment of gynecological and ENT diseases, nervous disorders;
recovery after operations or injuries of the upper respiratory tract;
persistent fatigue and depression, sleep disorders, nervous exhaustion;
age-related changes in facial skin.

Local cryotherapy removes warts, moles, acne, scars, papillomas, calluses, alopecia, seborrhea.

This list is not complete. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor who monitors the progress and results of the procedures.

Like all medical procedures, cold treatment has certain contraindications for which it is not carried out, these are:

allergy to cold;
infectious diseases at any stage of development;
cardiac ischemia and infarction conditions;
hypertension and strokes;
pregnancy and lactation period.

Cryotherapy is not used before 16 and after 60 years.

At home

Cryotherapy is carried out not only in specialized centers, but also at home. This way you can boost your immunity and solve some cosmetic problems:

Cold and hot shower. Its essence is reflected in the name. The water is suddenly changed from hot to cold. You need to start with hot water, then douse yourself with cold water for a short time, starting from your feet, and finally pour over your entire body. The temperature changes every half minute, the total duration of the session is up to 5 minutes. At the same time, you cannot put your head under the water, otherwise a spasm and loss of consciousness may occur.
Cold douches. They start from the legs, then higher and then the whole body, except the head. The number of approaches depends on preparedness and well-being. The dousing is completed by rubbing with a towel.
Immersion in a bath of cold water. You need to lie down in the bath gradually, then plunge into the bath for a few seconds, but keep your head above the water. Gradually increase the immersion time to two minutes.
Local procedures. They are carried out using ice cubes, which are often made from diluted infusions of herbs with the addition of juices, oils and honey.

FAQ

Before you visit medical Center or a beauty salon, people want answers to some questions. The most frequently asked questions are:

“How many cryotherapy sessions are required?”
“A standard course includes 10-15 procedures. If necessary, the course is repeated."
“When is it better to take sessions, summer or spring?”
“The procedures are always useful, there are no restrictions on the season, but in the summer they are more comfortable, and they leave you feeling cool for a long time.”
“Is there any peeling of the skin after the sessions?”
“This effect is achieved by cryopilling, which is done only on the face. This is not observed on other parts of the body.”
“Is it possible to receive sessions for those who have weak blood vessels?»
“It’s possible, since the procedure strengthens vascular system and normalizes the body’s thermoregulation.”
“What can be combined with cryotherapy of the scalp?”
“Cryoprocedures of the head are used together with healing masks, lotions, etc. On this day, you can use any other procedures, except those related to heat, light and laser treatment.”

We invite you to see photos before and after cryotherapy:

Combination with other procedures

Cryotherapy is now inexpensive and effective method physiotherapy, which has analgesic, anti-edematous and antispasmodic effects.

Cryotherapy can be used as independent method treatment, in combination with sports medicine and other areas of traditional treatment.

These are traumatology, neurology, dermatology. There are examples successful use cold in the treatment of post-traumatic and dystrophic processes, as well as osteochondrosis, paresis and paralysis, various spasms and pain syndromes.

Where is it held and average prices

General and local cryotherapy carried out as in medical clinics, and in beauty salons.

The cost of cryotherapy procedures depends on the method used and the area of treatment.

Average prices for cryotherapy procedures are as follows:

cryosauna from 800 rub. per session;
cryomassage of the face, body, décolleté, back, alopecia, socket part of the head 650-1500 rubles;
, warts – from 300 rubles;
local anesthesia – from 500 rubles;
cryotherapy of the cervix from 1000 rubles;
cryodestruction of tonsils from 2500 rub.

The main advantage of cold treatment is minimal side effects, or their complete absence, which will not have an impact on familiar image life.

But before enrolling in a cryotherapy course, you need to know exactly all the indications and contraindications that are taken into account during treatment. It is also important to know what to do after cryotherapy to beneficial effect was fixed for a long time.

And finally, watch the video of the cryotherapy procedure for the face and scalp:

At home, you can perform alternative cryotherapy for knees, ankles, elbow joints with the help of some available means - ice, cold water and cryopaks. Of course, the effectiveness of such therapy will be significantly lower than that of exposure to ultra-low temperature and liquid nitrogen. But home cryotherapy will certainly bring some benefits. Therefore, below you will learn about several of its options.

IN last years To treat joint diseases, special cryogenic installations began to be used, affecting the body with ultra-low temperatures. There are two main methods of cryotherapy: dry cryotherapy(exposure to ultra-low temperature air, in particular the use of cryosauna), and liquid cryotherapy- exposure of the affected joint to a jet of liquid nitrogen. According to my observations, for joint diseases liquid cryotherapy is much more effective than impact dry cold.

We treat joints: cryotherapy at home

By influencing the affected joint or back with a jet of liquid nitrogen, you can achieve a pronounced response from the body: increased blood circulation and improved metabolism, reduced swelling of the joint, relieved muscle spasm and reduced pain.

The course of treatment includes 8-12 procedures, carried out daily or every other day.

Especially good effect Liquid nitrogen therapy helps with arthrosis knee joints, ankylosing spondylitis, polymyalgia rheumatica and a little m less strong - for rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis. This, according to my observations, is the best physiotherapeutic procedure for the treatment of the above diseases.

In addition, by exposing liquid nitrogen to collar area, you can simultaneously normalize high blood pressure and ease breathing in case of bronchitis or bronchial asthma (with the exception of cold asthma).

In addition, when used correctly, cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen has almost no contraindications and can be used to treat elderly, debilitated patients.

It cannot be used only for Raynaud's syndrome, some arrhythmias and immediately immediately after a heart attack or stroke.

But cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen is not subject to many contraindications to other methods of physiotherapy: cryotherapy can be used even by those who have benign oncological diseases(such as fibroids, mastopathy, etc.) and diseases thyroid gland(particularly nodes).

Unlike cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen, cryosaunas have less local impact on individual inflamed joints. Their scope of application is mainly those joint diseases, which require a general effect on the entire body: these are rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis with total damage to all joints or with damage to a very large group of joints.

At home, you can carry out alternative cryotherapy of the knee, ankle, and elbow joints using some available means - ice, cold water and cryopacks. Certainly, the effectiveness of such therapy will be significantly lower than from exposure to ultra-low temperature and liquid nitrogen. But home cryotherapy will certainly bring some benefits. Therefore, below I will talk about several of its options.

First, you can use ice from the freezer. Prepared ice (up to 1 kg), placed in plastic bags, is placed through a thin towel on the affected joint for 10-20 minutes. After the procedure, the joint must be kneaded.

In addition, you can use ice packs - the so-called "wet towel" method. To do this, a pre-moistened ordinary towel is frozen in the freezer for at least 2-3 hours, and then it is wrapped around the sore joint for 15-20 minutes.

You can apply pressure to the joint using a stream of regular cold tap water. A stream of cold water is directed onto the sore joint for three minutes. After this, the joint must be stretched.

Currently created and found wide application in home practice cryoapplicators, or cryopackages. Usually such devices are quite cheap. They can be found in some pharmacies or medical supply stores.

The main property of devices of this type is the ability to accumulate cold well. When selecting a material for placement in cryopackages, manufacturers focus on its thermodynamic characteristics, which allow the intensity of exposure to be dosed quite accurately.

Most often cryopackages with a thickness of 5 to 30 mm are used with operating temperature from -10 to -20 °C. They are applied to the affected joint 1-2 times a day for an average of 10 minutes. When applying cryopackages, you must remember that they cannot be applied directly to the skin; The cryopackage is always placed on a pad of paper or linen napkin.

Any home cryoprocedures are carried out daily for 20-30 days. published .

"Arthrosis. Getting rid of joint pain", P. Evdokimenko

Treatment of joints with cold.

Cold treatment of joints, or cryotherapy, is a physiotherapeutic procedure with proven clinical effectiveness. The healing technique is used to reduce the severity of pain and swelling, eliminate stiffness, and restore normal functioning all joint structures. Cold treatment is practiced for all pathologies of the musculoskeletal system - and degenerative-dystrophic ones. Cryotherapy is recommended for patients with various localizations.

But the physiotherapeutic method also has a fairly wide list of contraindications. In order for cold treatment to be successful, without any complications, it is necessary to carry out procedures as prescribed by a doctor and under his supervision.

Basic principles of cold treatment

The effectiveness of cold treatment on sore joints directly depends on the degree of their cooling. Each part of the body has its own temperature. IN upper limbs it is 30-32°C, and in the feet - 26-28°C. When the temperature drops by just 1°C, the rate of metabolic processes decreases by about 7%.

It has been established that the cerebral cortex reacts much more strongly to cold exposure than to heat. This is explained by the presence of 2 heat and 15 cold points on 1 square centimeter of skin. The therapeutic effectiveness of cryotherapy is higher than the therapeutic result from regular heating of diseased joints.

During acute cooling, standard reactions occur in the body, which are aimed at maximizing heat retention:

blood vessels in the superficial tissues of the body narrow;
heart rate increases slightly;
The level of systolic and diastolic blood pressure increases slightly;
the volume of pulmonary ventilation increases;
Adrenaline and norepinephrine are actively secreted by the adrenal glands.

Cryotherapy for arthritis.

As a result of all biochemical processes, the affected joint structures begin to receive large quantity blood saturated with nutritional and biological active substances. Tissues are saturated with oxygen, microcirculation improves, and blood stagnation is prevented. By accelerating metabolic processes, tissues that have undergone destructive and degenerative changes are restored faster. This is relevant when diagnosing arthrosis or arthritis of the 1st degree, when it is possible to reverse pathological changes in the joints. Strengthening the defenses by activating the immune system is also important. A kind of “hardening” occurs, the body is mobilized to fight joint pathology.

Indications for cryotherapy	Contraindications to cold treatment
Arthritis	Pregnancy and breastfeeding period
Arthrosis, including	Skin pathologies in the acute stage
Osteochondrosis - ,	The presence of serious damage to the skin
	Thrombophlebitis of any severity
	Open form of tuberculosis
Muscle spasms	Spicy and chronic pathologies of cardio-vascular system, blood diseases
Myalgia,	ARVI, influenza, fever

Types of cryotherapy

Treatment of joints with cold can be local or general. The classification is based on the area of the body that is subject to intense cooling. When performing general cryotherapy, cold affects the entire body, including the central nervous system, activating almost all adaptive systems. When performing local cryotherapy, only the diseased joint is cooled, which leads to the acceleration of regeneration processes in it.

The immunomodulatory effect of the procedures was noted, which is important in the treatment of systemic pathologies -,. Often, a course of physiotherapeutic measures is prescribed to patients at the rehabilitation stage to restore homeostatic mechanisms.

Local cryotherapy

Solid, liquid or gaseous refrigerants are used to locally cool joints. Under their influence, heat is removed from certain areas of the body in such a way that no significant shift in thermoregulation occurs, and the temperature is maintained within the limits of stress resistance. The principle of operation of any refrigerant is cooling of joint structures as a result of heat absorption (heating, evaporation).

Local cryotherapy of the elbow joint.

The main clinical effects of local tissue cooling:

decrease in severity;
relief of the inflammatory process;
relaxation of skeletal muscles (elimination of muscle spasms).

During the procedure, antihypoxic, hemostatic and reparative effects are also observed. Locally, metabolic processes in tissues slow down, their need for oxygen decreases. The doctor supervising the treatment can regulate the tone of the muscles located near the diseased joint, setting parameters for the intensity and duration of exposure to cold.

General cryotherapy

This is a physiotherapeutic technique, the principle of which is based on cooling the body with refrigerants in the form of liquid or gas. The most common practice is to use a nitrogen-air mixture and atmospheric air in a special set of equipment - a cryochamber.

Cold treatment session in a cryochamber.

Under the influence of general cooling, the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and muscular system improves. Skin receptors are briefly excited, and then a long inhibition phase occurs, which leads to numerous positive therapeutic effects:

weaken joint pain inflammatory and degenerative-dystrophic genesis;
striated muscles relax;
restoration of destroyed connective tissue joint structures is accelerated.

General cryotherapy is especially often used for problems arising due to compression or inflammation of the roots. spinal cord. During the procedure it is eliminated muscle spasm, which provoked the infringement nerve ending. During the cooling process, thermoregulation is activated, and the functional activity of the immune, endocrine and neurohumoral systems increases. The general effect of cold leads to antidepressant, anti-anxiety, analgesic, anti-edematous, vasodilating effects.

Therapy at home

Cold treatment of joints at home can be local or general. Regardless of the type of procedure, its duration should not exceed a few seconds. When conducting clinical trials It was found that with short-term cold exposure, stress proteins begin to be produced in the brain. This response of the body is a certain protection internal organs, preventing the development of ischemic and tumor processes.

Immersion in a bath with cold water or a cold shower for a few (5-15) seconds not only helps eliminate joint pain, but also becomes an excellent prevention of numerous pathologies.

For local impact on the joints, a plastic bag filled with ice cubes is used.

Cold compress on the knee to reduce inflammation.

If for injuries doctors recommend applying it for 5-10 minutes every hour, then when treating articular pathologies Do not keep the compress on your shoulder or knee for more than 7 seconds. Then you need to rub yourself well with a hard towel for even greater blood flow to the damaged cartilage and soft tissues. This will cause a feeling of heat throughout the body, indicating the restoration of microcirculation.

Cryotherapy and therapeutic exercises

According to Dr. Bubnovsky, cold treatment is much more effective than regular warming. But he often encounters doubtful patients whose next attack of arthritis or arthrosis occurred after hypothermia. The doctor explains this by the lack of regular exercise, like effective way therapy of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. The constancy of the internal environment is ensured by two functional systems:

thermoregulation. The body is able to respond to temperature changes, exposure to cold or heat without any disturbances in the functioning of internal organs;
adaptation. At long stay When a person experiences cold or heat, the body gradually adapts and begins to function as before.

Although such reactions are characteristic of every person’s body, poorly trained people tolerate it worse. sharp increase or a decrease in temperature. Dr. Bubnovsky says that patients who come to him consider hypothermia to be the cause of their pathology, identifying it with inflammation. It is these patients who neglect daily exercise. Stagnation has formed in their deep muscles, which has led to disruption of thermoregulation and spasm of capillaries. Therefore, cold exposure to their joints leads to spasms in non-working muscles.

Dr. Bubnovsky recommends exercising regularly for several weeks before cold therapy. physical therapy. When the patient gets his muscles in order, he can begin medical procedures. Now, in response to cold exposure, there is no painful spasm. Microcirculation is restored, blood circulation improves, and the severity of swelling and pain is reduced.