I Tried Cryotherapy for Chronic Pain. Here's What Happened

Veronica Vivona

Hi, my name’s Veronica and I live with fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome. Both conditions cause chronic pain which has been a regular part of my life for the past 10 years. As I get older and my life takes me in new directions, I’m constantly looking for ways to manage my chronic pain which mostly affects my neck, shoulders and back.

Hi，我叫Veronica，我患有纤维肌痛和肌筋膜疼痛综合征。这两种情况都会导致慢性疼痛，这在过去的10年里一直是我生活中的一部分。当我长大后我的生活带我走向新的方向，我不断地寻找方法来缓解我的慢性疼痛，这主要影响我的脖子，肩膀和背部。

All About Cryotherapy关于超低温冷疗

On bad flare days when my neck hurts more than usual, I use an ice pack. It’s an easy fix that doesn’t take a ton of effort. I usually lean back on it while I watch something on TV. I never really understood the science of why something as simple as an ice pack helps chronic pain. That’s when I started researching and learned all about the benefits of cold therapy.

当我的脖子比平时更疼的时候，我就用冰袋敷。

这是一个简单的解决办法，不需要花费大量的努力。当我在电视上看东西时，我通常靠在上面。我从来没有真正的去探究为什么像冰袋这样简单的东西会帮助缓解慢性疼痛。

直到我开始研究和了解所有关于冷疗的好处。

Cryotherapy is another word for cold therapy. It’s a giant machine that creates a drop in temperature, usually between negative 130 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, while you stand inside for a couple of minutes. It looks like this:

超低温冷疗是cold therapy的另一个说法。

这是一台巨大的机器，能造成温度的下降，通常在-130℉到-300℉之间，而你在里面站了几分钟，看起来像这样：

“Whole-body cryotherapy is used to help relieve chronic pain, decrease inflammation, speed recovery time, increase athletic performance and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness,” Kevin McLaughlin, D.C., owner of Complete Chiropractic Sports & Wellness in Durham, North Carolina said. “Some additional benefits include pain relief from chronic medical conditions, increased circulation throughout your body and treatment of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.” It may also help skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.

“全身超低温冷疗是用来帮助缓解慢性疼痛，减少炎症，加速恢复，增加运动表现和减少迟发性肌肉酸痛，”北卡罗来纳州达勒姆的某冷疗机构老板Kevin McLaughlin, D.C.如是说。

“一些额外的好处包括缓解慢性疾病带来的疼痛，增加你全身的循环身体和治疗情绪障碍，如焦虑和抑郁。“

它也可能有助于皮肤状况，如银屑病和湿疹。

For the record, I am not an athlete. I danced growing up, but as an adult, the most I ever did was train for a half-marathon. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great accomplishment, but that was almost three years ago and I haven’t run much since.

当然，我不是运动员。我跳舞长大了，但作为一个成年人，我做的最多的是为半程马拉松训练。别误会，这是一个伟大的成就，但那几乎是几年前，我就没怎么跑了。

So I had to ask, “Was this actually meant for someone like me?” Dr. McLaughlin said yes:
Whole body cryotherapy is ideal for athletes seeking muscle recovery, but also for people with chronic pain and inflammatory conditions. Cryotherapy is also used post-surgically to accelerate the healing process and reduce pain without the side effects of pain medications and anti-inflammatory drugs.

所以我不得不问：“我真的需要这个吗？”

McLaughlin博士说是的：“全身超低温冷疗是运动员理想的寻求肌肉恢复的方法，但也适用于患有慢性疼痛和炎症的人。超低温冷疗在手术后也被用来加速血液循环玲过程和减少疼痛，并且没有疼痛药物和抗炎药物的副作用。”

Think of cryotherapy as the more extreme version of an ice bath. It’s not a cure, but may help you manage and reduce pain. So, that begs the question: How often should someone go into a cryotherapy machine? McLaughlin made it clear that one-time usage wasn’t going to have a long-lasting effect:

你可以把超低温冷疗看作是冰浴的“高配版”。它无法完全治愈，但可以切实帮助你抑制和减少疼痛。

所以，这就引出了一个问题：人们应该多久接受一次超低温冷疗？

McLaughlin明确表示，一次性使用不会产生长期影响：

Depending upon the condition being treated, it should initially take five to ten treatments in close succession, such as every other day, for the first two weeks. After this initial loading period, maintenance treatments should be at least once per week.

“视治疗情况而定，最初应连续进行五至十次治疗，如每隔一天一次，为期两周。经过初次疗程，之后的护理治疗应保持至少每周一次的频率。”

Initially, that sounds like a major commitment. It does make sense though. I use my ice pack multiple times a week and it’s the same theory. It would be nice if this could be a one-and-done thing, but managing pain is never straightforward.

起初，这听起来像是一项大工程。不过，这确实有道理。正如以前我每周也需要多次使用冰袋冷敷。

当然，如果这是一劳永逸的事情那是再好不过，但谁都知道疼痛管理从来不是一蹴而就的。

But how does it work? The exposed skin reacts to the extreme temperatures by sending messages to the brain that stimulate natural regulatory functions of the body,” McLaughlin told me. “In addition, the skin’s exposure to these subzero temperatures trigger the release of anti-inflammatory molecules, endorphins, and increases oxygen circulation within the bloodstream.”

它是如何工作的呢？

McLaughlin告诉我，“暴露的皮肤通过向大脑发送刺激人体自然调节功能的信息，来对极端温度作出反应。”

此外，皮肤暴露在这些零下温度下，会触发抗炎分子、内啡肽的释放，并增加血液中的氧循环。

The Experiment经验

This was not going to be a one-and-done type of treatment, but I was still curious about what it would be like to try it. I mean, it’s scary. I hate being cold for one thing. (You should see my sweater collection.) But also, it’s your whole body that goes into this tank. I doubt I’m the only one with irrational fears about getting trapped inside of one. I was curious and wanted to try it. It would only be a few minutes of my life after all.

这不会是一劳永逸的疗法，但我仍然对尝试这种疗法感到好奇。我是说，这很可怕。我讨厌冷一件事。（你应该看看我收集的毛衣。）

你的整个身体进入了这个舱内，我怀疑我是唯一一个不理智地担心被困在里面的人。我很好奇，想试试。一次体验也仅占了我生命中的几分钟。

I arrived at Complete Chiropractic Sports & Wellness on a Monday morning. I was told I could completely undress or keep my clothes on. I decided to keep my clothes on. I wanted this to be an easy process. It’s a little intimidating stepping inside a giant freezer, let alone going inside one completely naked. I did have to wear special gloves and booties to protect me from getting stuck inside the machine, among other things. (Have you ever heard of freezer burn?)

星期一早上，我到达了某冷疗机构，我被告知我完全可以脱衣服或穿衣服，我决定把衣服穿上。

我希望这是一个简单的过程。走进一个巨大的冰柜有点吓人，更不用说完全赤裸裸地走进里面了。我不得不戴上特殊的手套和靴子，以保护我不被困在机器里，诸如此类。（你听说过冰柜燃烧吗？）

It’s a pretty quick process. The machine turns on, you go inside, you stand there for a minute or two and then it’s done. But my goodness, did it get cold.

这是一个相当快的过程。机器打开，你进去，你站在那里几分钟，然后就完成了。但我的天，确实变冷了。

All of this fear about a minute and a half of cryotherapy, and it was done without me even realizing it. The process itself was easy. The part I was worried about was if it would actually work.

恐惧情绪伴我度过了大约一分钟半的超低温冷疗，这是在我甚至没有意识到的情况下完成的。

这一过程本身很容易。我担心的是它是否真的能起作用。