2023-07-30 10:08:01
What is cryotherapy? A set of techniques to relieve health problems thanks to the cold. Explanations with Martin Ducret.
Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at Daily Doctor, evokes today cryotherapy, this technique of care which makes it possible to soothe and reduce pain.
franceinfo: Explain to us what it consists of?
Cryotherapy encompasses all the techniques that aim to relieve a health problem through cold. There are many listeners who listen to us who have already put an ice pack on a joint, following having sprained themselves, or who have seen an athlete on TV having cold applied with a spray following a shock.
It actually helps to soothe the pain and reduce the swelling. Moreover, I recommend to my patients the application of a cold pack, 15 to 20 minutes, several times a day, in case of trauma and in the days that follow. To avoid burning yourself, be careful not to put ice directly on your skin, it is better to opt for an ice pack provided for this purpose.
Is there also cryotherapy on the whole body?
Yes quite. The principle is to cause a thermal shock on the whole body, and the best way to do this is to go to a cold room at minus 110°C, for 2 to 3 minutes. This is called whole body cryotherapy. Initially, it was put in place to improve muscle recovery and reduce muscle soreness in high-level athletes following a match or competition. But this technique has become more popular to relieve patients who suffer from chronic pain such as inflammatory rheumatism or even psychiatric problems such as depression.
For athletes, it’s more of a single session, a “one shot” following a match, and for others, it’s generally daily cures spread over 5 to 10 days. There are regarding sixty centers in France, where you can do whole body cryotherapy sessions, and regarding 200, where you can do partial body cryotherapy, it’s cryotherapy a little less effective, where we find ourselves in a cryogenic cabin, where only the head protrudes, and is therefore not immersed in the cold. You should know that these cold therapy sessions are not reimbursed by Social Security, but some mutual funds cover part of it. It takes more than 300 euros for ten sessions.
Another important point, the sessions are not necessarily subject to medical supervision, only for patients who want to benefit from them for their chronic illnesses. In this case, it is necessary to see a doctor, because there are contraindications to this method, for example poorly controlled high blood pressure or an allergy to cold, and there are precautions to be taken before expose to such low temperatures, such as protecting their extremities to avoid burns.
So the best way to benefit from this therapy, which is acclaimed by many patients and health professionals, but which still lacks scientific proof of these benefits, is to go to a center where there is medical supervision, with a doctor who will give you an assessment of non-contraindications. You can also go to the website of the French whole body cryotherapy society, to find a referenced center.
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