Helen Davis has suffered with arthritis for 20 years. She is on two different medications for two types of arthritis, yet has seen the condition progress. This past January, she had an arthritic flare up that left her totally helpless. Her family feared for her life.
Prior to treatment, arthritis kept Davis from being able to make a fist.
“I have always been healthy and active,” she proudly says. “I could have delivered all my babies myself (including my twins!), but I never thought something could leave me as helpless as a baby.” She slowly got back to the walking exercise she loves. But then swelling in her knees kept her from even doing that. Just prior to her trip to the Desert to see her daughter’s family, she visited her rheumatologist in Alabama. “She couldn’t even get my pant leg over my knee and told me that when I returned, she would adjust my medications.”
Her son-in-law had not seen Helen in almost a year. She arrived from the airport embarrassed about her condition. Upon seeing her, he knew she needed Cryotherapy. Their daughter, a competitive volleyball player and client of Kinetix Health & Performance Center seriously injured her ankle and was scheduled for surgery. The surgery was postponed and Kinetix owner Mike Butler recommended Cryo. After four treatments, her ankle was well on its way to recovery. Upon re-examination, the stunned surgeon encouraged her to keep doing what she was doing. Her recovery time will continue for a few more weeks versus the months planned for post-op.
Treatments include up to three minutes in the Cryotherapy cylinder
They were convinced that Helen could benefit from the treatment as well. As arthritis inhibits your body’s ability to heal, Helen also had a skin condition on her finger that had been there for years. After two Cryo treatments, it was gone and she could bend her fingers. After 5 treatments, she could bend her knee and was walking without pain.
“I am walking proof of the benefits of this therapy and will be singing its praises all the way back to Alabama,” says Helen. “I am so grateful to have found something that works.” Butler recommended 1-2 monthly maintenance treatments for Helen, who had already researched the closest location to her home and will be traveling 5 hours to Tallahassee as needed. “I can’t wait to show my doctor my skin, my hands. She won’t believe this knee!”
“In addition to the reduction of inflammation and pain, we’ve noticed a big difference with sclerosis and eczema,” says Susan Butler. “Within a few sessions it is gone.”
As a therapy for ankylosing spondylitis and other chronic inflammatory conditions including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, Cryotherapy has been successfully used in European hospitals for years. The theory is that intense cold stimulates the body’s natural anti-inflammatory chemicals and pain-relieving hormones. After just a few minutes in the chamber, the temperature causes blood to pump to your main organs and brain to protect them. When you come out, blood is rushed back into the system greatly benefiting damaged areas. Your endocrine system is also stimulated and releases a whole host of chemicals including anti–inflammatory markers, pain-relieving hormones, feel-good endorphins, and adrenaline to help the body in repairing injury.1
The chamber can reach -170 Celsius and treatments are 2-3 minutes. “My husband offered to prepare an ice bath for me,” Helen says with a smile. “I told him ‘no thank you.’ I’ll drive 5 hours for the real thing.”
Shoulder impingements limited Tom’s range of motion
After three treatments, range of motion improved and Tom was playing pain-free golf
Tom D. of La Quinta is an avid golfer whose game was only disturbed by severe pain from shoulder impingements which limited his range of motion. For this condition, the Butlers recommended Active Release Therapy (ART) to break up the tissue coupled with Cryo. After his second treatment, his range of motion had improved and the pain went from sharp to dull. The third treatment was combined with ART and Tom went out and played his first pain-free round in years. Also surprising were the many ancillary benefits he experienced including better sleep, more energy, improved posture, and “overall pain-free mornings.” Two weeks later he is still playing golf pain-free and with an improved range of motion.
“You live with pain for so long, and are amazed when you find something that works with lasting results. I look forward to my maintenance program – and to many more pain-free rounds.”
The Whole Body Cryotherapy Chamber is available locally at Kinetix Health & Performance Center in Palm Desert. For more information call (760) 200-1719 or visit KinetixCenter.com.
References: (1) UK DailyMail: Can standing in a deep freeze ease arthritis? Just five minutes in an ice chamber made me feel years younger, says this sufferer. Barbara Metcalfe 23 July 2012
