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Cryotherapy or cold therapy isn't a new practice but it has gained popularity due to videos on social media showing people dunking themselves in baths full of ice water.
CELINA - Taking a quick dip in ice water or stepping inside a chamber that is a frosty minus 210 degrees can provide health and mental benefits, health experts say. Cryotherapy or cold therapy isn't a new practice but it has gained popularity due to videos on social media showing people dunking themselves in baths full of ice water in an attempt to regulate their body temperature.
The frigid water can soothe sore muscles, decrease inflammation, boost focus and alleviate brain fog and sleeplessness, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
However, frequent use can be dangerous and even deadly. Plunging the body into cold water triggers a sudden, rapid increase in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure known as the cold shock response. That can cause a person to drown within seconds if they involuntarily gasp while their head is submerged. The shock also places stress on the heart and makes it work harder, according to the American Heart Association.
Allie Wright, the athletic trainer at Celina High School, said the athletic department has Whirlpool tubs for student athletes, primarily football, track and cross country athletes. The tubs have motors to circulate the water. She said she tries to keep the tub temperature between 55-65 degrees, which is a sharp 30-degree difference from the human body's normal 98.6-degree core temperature.
However, that temperature range is warmer and safer than jumping into Grand Lake in the dead of winter.
Wright, who works for Community Sports and Therapy Center, said the athletes primarily use the tubs to help with sore muscles.
"Athletes tend to have less residual soreness when they do an ice bath after a long practice," Wright said.
The cold water constricts blood vessels, which slows blood flow and relieves some of that swelling and soreness in the muscles after a hard workout, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Wright said her athletes have said they like the numb feeling when they get out of the water, and when they warm back up, they "feel invigorated as the new blood circulates," she said.
She also said she uses the tubs for rapid re-cooling for athletes who may have heat illness because it's a quicker approach to cooling the entire body.
Repeated cold-water immersions have been shown to improve how the body responds to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels, according to The Associated Press. It could help reduce risks for diabetes or keep the disease under better control in people already affected, although more studies are needed to prove that.
The practice also activates brown fat - tissue that helps keep the body warm and helps it control blood sugar and insulin levels. It also helps the body burn calories, which has prompted research into whether cold water immersion is an effective way to lose weight. The evidence so far is inconclusive.
Another approach to ice baths is cryotherapy.
iCRYO in Fort Wayne, Indiana, specializes in cryotherapy and its intended health benefits.
Manager Ryan Carmichael said the company has full-body chambers.
"Imagine a freezer that is minus 210 degrees … and you are standing in there for up to 3 1/2 minutes," Carmichael said of the services the company offers.
Physiologically, when a person gets cold, they go into a fight or flight response, which tells the body to send the blood from the extremities to protect the organs and the body's core temperature, Carmichael said. All the blood recirculates through the heart.
"As we come out of the cryo chamber in 3 1/2 minutes, when we warm back up, we are going to have re-oxygenated blood that goes back to our extremities," Carmichael said. "With the re-oxygenation of blood, it can mitigate and alleviate any stress, muscle stiffness (and) muscle soreness … in one session."
Additionally, studies show three major endorphins are released - adrenaline, serotonin and melatonin, Carmichael said. As the body returns to its normal temperature, a person feels a euphoric rush because of the adrenaline and the serotonin. The release of melatonin fosters muscle recovery and healthy sleep patterns and provides mental health benefits.
Carmichael said cryotherapy is similar to ice baths insofar as benefits, but it is different in its temperature range. The cold plunge is a wet cold, which introduces the risk of hypothermia and frostbite. In contrast, the chamber is a dry cold, which is why it's much colder, he said.
