Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is a medical treatment that utilizes extreme cold to address various health conditions. Historically, it has roots in ancient practices, evolving significantly with advancements in technology, particularly the use of liquid nitrogen and argon gas for cryosurgery. This technique is employed to treat a range of conditions, including different types of cancer (such as breast and prostate), inflammation, muscle soreness, and skin lesions like warts and tattoos.
The mechanism behind cryotherapy involves applying cold to constrict blood flow, which numbs nerves and reduces pain and swelling. In surgical applications, freezing can effectively destroy cancerous tissue, while dermatological procedures use it to remove superficial skin issues. Scientific evidence indicates that cryotherapy can be particularly beneficial for patients unable to undergo conventional surgery, showing promising results in tumor reduction and post-operative pain management.
Although cryotherapy is generally considered safe, precautions are necessary to avoid complications like frostbite from prolonged exposure to extreme cold. For those considering cryotherapy, it is advisable to seek treatment from qualified and experienced medical professionals. Overall, cryotherapy represents a multifaceted approach in contemporary medicine, with ongoing research into its efficacy and potential applications.
Cryotherapy
DEFINITION: The use of extreme cold in medical treatment and surgery.
PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USES: Cancer of the breast, colon, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, retina, and skin; cervical dysplasia; inflammation; sprains; warts; muscle soreness
OTHER PROPOSED USES: Acne, eye surgery, heart disease, hemorrhoids, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, tattoo removal
Overview
Cryotherapy has been used since Ancient Egypt to treat external pain and inflammation. In the nineteenth century, freezing was first used to remove external tissue by using ice and salt. With the advent of liquid nitrogen in the early twentieth century, freezing cells became commonplace. Later in the century, with the development of nitrogen and argon gas, scientists were able to develop the medical technology used in what is now known as cryosurgery.
Mechanism of Action
Applying extreme cold extraneously to inflammation or injuries constricts blood flow and numbs the nerves, reducing pain and swelling. Freezing external skin lesions or cancers kills the tissue and leads to the “shedding” of the skin. Applying extreme cold internally, by using nitrogen or argon gas cryosurgically, kills cells and extracts cancerous tissue from organs.
Uses and Applications
Externally, ice packs are commonly used to treat sprains, sports injuries, and general pain and inflammation. In cryosurgery, at -40°Fahrenheit (-40°Celsius), ice crystallizes inside cells, causing them to burst and die. Surgeons use a needle to insert argon or nitrogen gas inside tissue containing precancerous or cancerous cells, freezing the cells and killing them. Dermatologists use freezing to remove warts, skin lesions, and tattoos. Eye surgeons use cryotherapy during cataract and retina surgery to freeze tissue and seal retinal holes. Brain surgeons use cryotherapy to freeze the thalamus and reduce the effects of Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders. Cardiologists use cryotherapy to reduce heart muscle damage in persons who have had a heart attack. Cryotherapy can also be used in sports medicine to help reduce pain and inflammation and promote recovery after injury. In addition, cryotherapy can be used to relieve muscle soreness. For these reasons, it can also be used to lessen the symptoms of chronic pain conditions and arthritis.
Scientific Evidence
In 2009, at the Fifteenth World Congress of the International Society of Cryosurgery, scientific results showed that for persons who were unable to undergo traditional surgery for their cancers because of metastasizing, particularly persons with lung, liver, kidney, prostate, breast, or pancreatic cancer, cryosurgery was highly effective. Cryosurgery, compared with traditional chemotherapy treatments, had an increase of 30 to 50 percent in the partial or complete reduction of tumors.
In a double-blind study in 2005, fourteen youths received dental surgery, in which each had his or her impacted third molar tooth extracted. Some participants were treated with cryotherapy and others not. Those who received cryotherapy treatments reported significantly less pain and swelling in the jaws.
Several other double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on cryotherapy have been undertaken, and most showed mixed results. In a study on cryotherapy for knee pain associated with osteoarthritis, cryotherapy was found to improve pain, function, and quality of life when compared to the placebo group. However, the improvements were small. Similar results were found in a study on using cryotherapy for aromatase inhibitor-induced joint pain. Whole-body cryotherapy was found to be effective in a study on chronic pain patients.
Choosing a Practitioner
The American Medical Association recommends that persons choose a qualified, experienced, and licensed physician for all cryosurgery procedures. This doctor should be knowledgeable and accomplished in using state-of-the-art cryotherapy technology.
Safety Issues
Extreme cold applied to extraneous skin tissue for more than twenty minutes can lead to frostbite. Cryotherapy that is used to treat internal organs rarely results in bleeding, nerve damage, or infection.
Bibliography
"Cryotherapy Cold Therapy for Pain Management." Johns Hopkins Medicine, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/cryotherapy-cold-therapy-for-pain-management. Accessed 13 Sept. 2024.
Dantas, Lucas Ogura, et al. "Cryotherapy Associated with Tailored Land-Based Exercises for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Protocol for a Double-Blind Sham-Controlled Randomised Trial." BMJ Open, vol. 10, no. 6, 2020, p. e035610. BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035610. Accessed 13 Sept. 2024.
Freiman, Anatoli, and Nathaniel Bouganim. "History of Cryotherapy." Dermatology Online Journal, vol. 11, no. 2, 2005, dermatology.cdlib.org/112/reviews/hxcryo/freiman.html. Accessed 13 Sept. 2024.
Haq, Adnan, et al. "The Effect of Repetitive Whole Body Cryotherapy Treatment on Adaptations to a Strength and Endurance Training Programme in Physically Active Males." Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 25 Mar. 2020, doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.834386. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.
Jackson, Arthur, Graham Colver, and Rodney Dawber. Cutaneous Cryosurgery: Principles and Clinical Practice. 3d ed., New York: Taylor & Francis, 2006.
Katz, Aaron, and Philippa Cheetham. Living a Better Life After Prostate Cancer: A Survivor’s Guide to Cryotherapy. San Diego, Calif.: University Readers, 2009.
Korpin, Nikolai N., editor. Basics of Cryosurgery. New York: Springer, 2001.
Sulik, Sandra M., and Cathryn B. Heath. Primary Care Procedures in Women’s Health. New York: Springer, 2010.