A non-traditional pain treatment is gaining popularity across America, and Naperville is no exception. Two cryotherapy locations have opened up here in the past year, allowing clients to experience temperatures colder than minus 150 degrees Fahrenheit for three minutes at a time.
“The science behind it is you’re essentially putting your body in a pseudo-hypothermic state,” said NuYu Endogenesis Cryotherapy Technician Caroline Graham. “You’re going to put your body in a place it’s not comfortable so it’s going to pull all your blood to your core and when it does that all that blood is going to circulate through your heart and lungs and put all that oxygen back in.”
Graham says NuYu clients use the service for everything from faster athletic recovery to treating chronic pain caused by conditions like multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis.
The process is similar to applying an ice pack to sore muscles to reduce inflammation.
That’s exactly the reason Lori Bernard started using the partial body cryotherapy machine at her gym. When “The Cryo Place” opened inside Top Level Fitness in December, she decided to see if it would help her nagging shoulder injury.
Both NuYu Endogenesis and The Cryo Place require users to wear gloves and boots while in the chamber to prevent frostbite, but other than that, your underwear is the only barrier from the cold.
“Go stand in the snow with no clothes on,” said Bernard during her session. “It’s exactly like that.”
But the results speak for themselves when she steps out of the chamber.
“My main thing is the aches and pains after I’ve done an additional workout and I have a constant nag – the next day, it’s gone,” said Bernard.
So far, The Cryo Place owner Zach Todevski says he’s heard only positive feedback from clients, which gives him confidence the industry will grow.
“Definitely there’s going to be a lot more cryotherapy presence in the next few years,” said Todevski. “Just for the last three or four years being in the market, the growth has been tremendous. And that’s because there are a lot of benefits and practically no side effects.”
Though feedback from clients we talked to was positive, the FDA has yet to approve the treatment and recommends you talk with your doctor before using cryotherapy.
A cold blast to reduce pain fast.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
