Like most of the country, Colorado took a dramatic turn in weather last week. Monday morning was near 70s with a bluebird sky and blazing sun….and Monday afternoon saw snow and temps hovering near zero. What?!
We broke record low temps on both Tuesday and Wednesday– the high on Wednesday was 6 degrees!–so naturally, this was the day I had scheduled to test out cryotherapy. There is nothing quite like sub-zero temps to make me want to jump into a liquid nitrogen-frozen container!
A local fitness center called Novera Fitness had contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in testing out cryotherapy. Usually, I love opportunities like this because I’m always curious about new experiences. And if I’m allowed to test something for free? Even better! However, I was a bit nervous this time around. After a hot minute of researching, I realized that cryotherapy involved liquid nitrogen and very, VERY cold temperatures. What in the world was I getting myself into?! Temps of -175 degree Fahrenheit have to hurt bare skin, right?!
I sat on the offer for a few days, but finally decided to give it a whirl {and honestly, I only agreed after finding some research on PubMed that demonstrated the safety of cryotherapy.} And with that, I found myself waltzing into Novera on the coldest November 11 in 108 years.
So, how does it work?
I met with Peter, the co-founder and partner at Novera. After walking me through the process {ensuring I wouldn’t freak out!}, I signed a few pages of liability-related paperwork, had my blood pressure taken, and headed into the private room. It was there that I saw the cryogenic chamber which eerily resembles an upright coffin. I stripped down to just my underwear but put on some heavy socks, slippers and mittens that Novera provided. Why? Toes and fingers have a tendency towards frostbite!
Scary, right?!
I stepped inside the chamber and shut the door before Peter returned to the room. He then used the fancy, Star Trek-esque controllers to raise the platform so that my head was above the top of the chamber. While cryotherapy has purported benefits for the body, it isn’t good for the lungs. It was critical that I keep my head above the fumes.
The max amount of time spent in the chamber is three minutes. However, Peter stood at the controller the entire time so he could adjust it as needed. I asked if it was too cold for people and he said that some can’t handle it and have to jump out almost immediately. Since I was a first timer, we set the clock for two minutes, 10 seconds. And then he turned that sucker on!
Since the chamber was pre-cooled before I stepped inside, the first half minute didn’t seem that awful. But then, as the seconds ticked by, my body became more and more chilled. It was set to -175°F, and let me tell you– that is flipping COLD. I continually rotated my body so that the back of my thighs wouldn’t suffer from overexposure. Other than that, I just kept looking around and questioning my sanity! With my mitten-covered hands clasped against my chest, I felt the shivering start when I hit two minutes. Remarkably, that was pretty late in the session for the shivers, so Peter asked if I wanted to extend the time since I was handling the treatment well. I considered it for a second, but quickly shook my head no. I felt my heart pounding in my chest due to nerves; it was time to call it.
Why cryotherapy?
There is a lot of debate on the topic and I’ve read research that argued both sides. In Europe, cryotherapy is frequently used post-surgery to decrease inflammation. In fact, it is prescribed by docs. However, in the US, it just hasn’t caught on…yet. Peter told me that Texas is the USA hub for whole body cryotherapy and has a couple hundred chambers spread across the state. In Colorado? There are just two. {Perhaps because we can just go sit our butts down in the snow outside?!}
In theory, the extremely cold temps help with inflammation, stress, insomnia, fibromyalgia and psoriasis. I’ve also read that plenty of elite athletes are using the treatment to help decrease recovery time.
As for me? I’m still torn. Immediately after leaving Novera, my legs felt all tingly and refreshed and my run later that day was insanely easy. I felt like I could run for days, and only turned around when I realized that darkness + blizzard + trail running was a horrible combination. However, my core temp was definitely low during the few hours after the treatment. I found myself shivering in the grocery store!
My original appointment was on the Monday immediately following the Moab Trail Half, and I wish I could have kept that date. My legs were still recuperating from the race and I may have noticed a bigger difference in the recovery period. Since I moved the appointment to Wednesday, my legs already felt fine.
In the end, I still don’t have a concrete opinion! I’ll consider trying it again in the future to develop a concrete opinion…..maybe after the 50k?!
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Have you ever tried cryotherapy? Thoughts on the treatment?