Cryotherapy is still considered to be relatively new in the medical field, so it might not be something that your practice offers quite yet. Whether you are thinking about buying one, looking for a new one, or trying to find new uses for the one you currently have, this blog on the benefits of cryotherapy for your medical office is just for you. We will go over the standard uses of it as well as some new ideas that people have been using them for.
For those unaware of what cryotherapy machines do, they apply freezing cold air to either a specific area of the patient or to their whole body. Whole-body machines are less utilized by much of the medical field, but they are slowly becoming more popular. The device creates cold air using either a gas or liquid. The gas that is commonly used in these machines is argon gas. The possible fluids that are used are liquid nitrogen or liquid nitrous oxide.
Skin Conditions
Our first benefit is by far the most common use of cryotherapy machines. If you already have one, this is most likely what you use it for. Irregularities on the skin like warts, skin tags, or dark spots can get removed using this. It works by freezing the deformity on the skin and killing the cells that form it. After some time, the dead cells will fall off, removing the issue. However, warts, in particular, will come back if not all of their cells were killed off.
Various Cancers
Many skin cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma, can be removed in a similar fashion to the skin conditions listed above. These aren’t the only cancers that can be removed, though.
Through a procedure called cryosurgery, low-risk tumors that are inside of a patient’s body can be frozen off. Cancers that get removed using this technique include prostate, cervical, liver, and bone cancer. Doctors can also use it to kill precancerous cells in the cervix and the lower end of the uterus. They can use it to treat retinoblastoma as well, which is typically found in young children. More significant cancers or ones that have spread through the body won’t be able to be stopped using this process, unfortunately.
Reduce Pain
One type of pain that cryotherapy has been known to help relieve is migraines. This gets done by cooling sensitive nerves in the neck area that are known to cause extreme headaches. In addition, it is thought that the cooling of the blood that passes through intracranial vessels leads to a relieving sensation. This is due to the fact that the carotid arteries are close to the surface of the skin, which makes them more accessible to the cryotherapy machine.
Due to the numbing techniques mentioned above, many athletes have been using cryotherapy for years to help with nerve irritation. The numbing sensation that cryotherapy allows helps them more quickly overcome issues caused by pinched nerves. It can also help treat acute injuries or even chronic pain.
There are even examples of ways that cryotherapy benefits people who suffer from arthritis. If the treatment gets localized to an area of pain or swelling in an arthritis patient, that pain can be significantly reduced or even stopped entirely. Of course, it’s by no means a permanent solution, but it can drastically improve the efficiency of rehabilitation programs if used correctly.
Treat Mood Disorders
Doing whole-body cryotherapy has been shown to give the patient going through the condition hormonal responses, such as the release of endorphins, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. While this might have a few uses for patients, it is the most useful for people who suffer from anxiety, depression, or other mood disorders. It doesn’t permanently fix these issues, but it is considered to be a beneficial short-term treatment.
Prevent Dementia
This benefit of cryotherapy for your medical office is probably the most experimental and untested one, but it’s theoretically possible to prevent or slow Alzheimer’s or other dementia types in patients. The reason why some physicians believe this is that cryotherapy can have anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects on the body, which could feasibly counter the same kinds of stresses that occur from Alzheimer’s.
Since this one is more theoretical than practical, we wouldn’t recommend purchasing a cryotherapy machine for this reason. Still, it’s definitely a reason to keep an eye on them and what they’ll be able to do in the future.
Possible Side Effects
Even though the pros outweigh the cons, it is still a good idea to be aware of what complications could occur in your patients who decide to try cryotherapy or cryosurgery. It should be noted that even though these side effects sound bad, they are quite uncommon. One possible complication is bone fractures, which could occur if their bones have high amounts of pressure put on them after being in freezing temperatures.
Some other possibilities of complications include nerve damage, swelling, and scarring. These can result in loss of feeling or skin infections for the patient, all of which are treatable afterward.
Women who have cryotherapy machines used on their cervix can have pain, bleeding, and cramping complications after the procedure. While rare, these issues should be addressed and resolved as quickly as possible once discovered.
Where To Get Your Own?
For those of you interested in purchasing a cryotherapy machine for your own medical practice, you’ve come to the right place. We offer Zimmer medical equipment right here at All States M.E.D. Our Zimmer Cryo 6 Chiller has a variety of features. The main one is the six-foot-long hose, which makes it easy to treat your patients without having to move the machine across the room. Using that hose, you can spray air that gets as cold as negative 30 degrees Celsius directly onto the troublesome area. With nine different fan speeds, you never have to worry about getting the coldest possible air directly where it needs to go.
You will need to call for pricing options, but it will be a good inclusion for your practice.
