Inflammation creates pain. Cryoanalgesia decreases pain and inflammation. That is why physiatrists, physical therapists, and sport trainers rely on the use of ice therapy to treat musculoskesletal conditions and injuries. Not only does icing cool you down and help with your pain temporarily but when applied in extreme freezing applications, cryoanalgesia produces prolonged nerve blocks that can relieve your pain symptoms.

How Cryoanalgesia Works

Cryoanalgesia works to relieve your difficult-to-manage pain because its effect is more long-lasting than local anesthetics. This treatment has essentially replaced cortisone injections as the go-to treatment for effectively treating intractable pain. Its outcomes are without a doubt more predictable and certainly more successful than cortisone treatments. Forget about stitches in this procedure. Stitches are not used in cryoanalgesia procedures. Its specialty lies in the uniqueness of its nerve-blocking component.

Freezing Technique Of Cryoanalgesia

What the technique does is block your peripheral nerve endings. While the nerve endings are blocked, your nerve cells still remain in place. There may be some degree of nerve stimulation to identify the correct nerve endings before the procedure begins. A local anesthetic is utilized to numb the skin and tissues underneath the designated treatment area. A catheter is placed through which a cryoprobe is positioned. The freezing process begins once the specific nerve ending is identified. Proper placement is ensured, if necessary, by using fluoroscopic guidance technology. Ice crystals destroy components in your nerve tissue that communicate pain signals to your brain.

Post Treatment

The procedure only lasts for a few minutes. After that, you'll be advised to limit your activity for approximately 24 to 28 hours. Patients experience differing relief from pain, but reports generally show that reduction of patients' pain happens quite soon after treatment, with some of them reporting complete relief from pain. Pay attention to your blood sugar readings regularly following the procedure if you're a diabetic. Some patients do report increases in their diabetic symptoms after undergoing cryoanalgesia.

Overall Benefit Following Procedure

All in all, cryoanalgesia is a procedure that's very safe. The procedure lets you return to your normal routine minus pain in a short period of time. Your procedure will last until the treated nerve tissues regenerate on its own. Discuss this procedure with your primary care physician or a cryoanalgesia professional. Your neurologist is another knowledgeable medical professional who can break down information for you about peripheral nerve endings and cryoanalgesia treatment.