Cryotherapy was discovered by Dr Toshima Yamaguchi, a Japanese medical doctor, in 1978, during his search for a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Yamaguchi found that by using a rapid decrease in temperature on the outer layer of the skin, which was often achieved by applying freezing instruments to small targeted areas of the body, that this lead to an immediate release of endorphins, and a reduction in pain sensitivity for his patients.
Whilst Cryotherapy has evolved into what is now a very sophisticated system, Cryotherapy is recognised as one of the earliest and most primitive cures, with many supporting books and articles being written during the early part of the 19th Century.
Equally fascinating and important to acknowledge is that Cryotherapy or ‘Cold Cure’, its original Greek name, has in fact been in existence, in some shape of form, since 2500BC with Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire and Greece embracing the use of extremely low temperatures on the body, to help reduce pain, inflammation, and promote internal recovery.