Cryo- means a form involving or producing extreme cold.
Cryotherapy is a method of treatment through localised freezing for relief of pain in cases of irritated nerves, or treating abnormal skin cells (or treating localised areas of some cancers, such as prostrate cancer).
In cryotherapy, a probe (blunt-ended surgicol instrument) is inserted into the tissue next to the affected nerve. The temperature of the probe is then dropped to effectively freeze the nerve. The freezing inactivates the nerve; and as a result, painful nerve irritation is relieved.
It is a relatively safe and effective means of treating localised nerve irritation. Sometimes ice-cold water or ice- water is used for relieving localised muscle pain and nerve pain.
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Cryotherapy can be used to treat conditions that involve irritation of an isolated nerve; specific examples include nerve irritation between the ribs (intercosted neuralgia) and other cases. Many forms of nerve entrapment can be treated with cryotherapy.
Although cryotherapy can reduce unwanted nerve irritation, it sometimes can leave the tissue affected with unusual sensations, such as numbness or tingling (stinging sensation), or with redness and irritation of the skin. These side effects are generally temporary.