Inflammation and Chronic Pain Relief
Preventing Pain with Cryotherapy
Roger Clemmons mlb.com
The Journal of Physical Therapy Science reported in January of 2018 that cryotherapy excelled as an inflammation reducer in patients who underwent rotator cuff reconstruction surgery.¹ Legendary MLB pitcher Roger Clemmons returned to baseball from rotator cuff surgery, but not without suffering blinding pain.² In June of 2019 Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney was benched due to shoulder inflammation.³
Even non-athletes are at risk for this common injury as noted by Duke University:
about 50 percent of people over the age of 60 will have [a rotator cuff injury]. And it’s not just active people who are susceptible. Rotator cuff injuries afflict all types of people -- sedentary adults, weekend warriors, and elite athletes. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent them. ⁴
Inflammation and its resulting pain are the greatest post-surgical problems faced by patients. Early intervention to prevent inflammation is the key to patient satisfaction and recovery. In a landmark study conducted at Sehan University researchers found that cryotherapy caused significant improvements in healing and inflammation prevention as measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. CRP levels rise when inflammation is present as a direct cause-and effect: when inflammation goes up, so do CRP levels.⁵
According to the Harvard Medical School
CRP is produced in the liver, so everybody has it in their blood. In healthy people, blood levels of CRP are very low, but they are boosted by any inflammation in any part of the body. Because CRP reflects the liver's response to inflammation, it is a marker for inflammation. ⁶
In the present study 30 patients were measured for CRP levels before and after their surguries. The experimental groups measured CRP and muscle tone after receiving either cryotherapy or microcurrent therapy throughout the study for two weeks. The results found that
a statistically significant difference in CRP level was found in the cryotherapy group. A difference in shoulder muscle tone appeared only in the supraspinatus muscle, with post-hoc test results showing that the biggest change occurred in the cryotherapy group.
The study reported as a conclusion that
Cryotherapy may be able to help stabilize inflammation as well as reduce pain and muscle tension when applied in patients following rotator cuff reconstruction.⁷
How Cryotherapy reduces inflammation
Cryotherapy prompts the body’s anti-inflammatory norepinephrine release, lowering inflammation and lessening pain.⁸ Cryotherapy has become a relief for patients suffering from chronic pain such as osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic back pain as it reduces inflammation and helps make physical therapy endurable with these conditions.⁹
Learn more about the benefits of cryotherapy, find out how you can provide cryotherapy services, and read the guide on the cryotherapy business.
Founded on facts: for peer-reviewed articles, scholarly journals, and articles cited above please see the below sources.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29410562
https://www.mlb.com/player/roger-clemens-112388
https://www.mlb.com/news/andrew-heaney-placed-on-injured-list
https://www.dukehealth.org/blog/preventing-rotator-cuff-injuries
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29410562
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Exercise_C-reactive_protein_and_your_heart
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29410562
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18382932
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10832164