How to Do Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy, cryoablation and cryosurgery all describe various methods of treating diseased, abnormal or damaged tissue with cold temperature to reduce inflammation and pain, lower cellular metabolism or completely excise a diseased area. Cryotherapy works by rapidly pulling or transferring heat out of tissues.

Instructions

• 1

  Discuss with your healthcare practitioner or therapist your health issue(s) and the pros and cons of cryotherapy or cryosurgery to treat your health issue(s). The most common cryotherapy treatment options offered by healthcare professionals include: liquid nitrogen non-invasive and minimally invasive surgery using spray, probes or dipstick applicators, cryogenic chamber therapy, cold spas and ice pack therapy. If your health issue(s) involves a simple skin tag, wart or muscular spasm, many retail and drug stores now carry over-the-counter cryo-style treatments and inexpensive ice packs for home therapy.

• 2

  Treat your skin tags, warts or muscular issues with the treatments recommended in Step 1. Skip this step if your physician recommended therapy is more extensive. If treating warts, follow closely the instructions provided with the wart removal product. If treating muscular spasms and pain or a sprain with an ice pack, ice the area in brief increments of approximately 15 minutes and without placing the ice on any one area for more than a brief moment. Brief contact with the ice and moving it around the affected area, rather than holding it in one place, reduces the risk of tissue damage.

• 3

  Make a list of questions and concerns, if you skipped Step 2, to address at a follow-up appointment with your healthcare professional before agreeing to any extensive cryotherapy procedures. The preparation for each treatment method is entirely dependent on the health issue, your healthcare practitioner's experience and the type of cryotherapy product that he will use. Creating a list of questions and concerns helps clarify the pros and cons of the recommended method for your procedure.

• 4

  Follow closely the instructions provided by your healthcare professional both before and after your cryotherapy procedure to reduce possible skin or nerve damage.