Stop Restless Leg Syndrome With Whole Body Cryotherapy

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder characterized by throbbing, pulling, creeping, or other unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable, and sometimes overwhelming, urge to move them. Symptoms occur primarily at night when a person is relaxing or at rest and can increase in severity during the night. Moving the legs relieves the discomfort. The sensations range in severity from uncomfortable to irritating to painful.

Lying down and trying to relax activates the symptoms which causes people with RLS to have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Left untreated, the condition causes exhaustion and daytime fatigue. Many people with RLS report that their job, personal relations, and activities of daily living are strongly affected as a result of their sleep deprivation. They are often unable to concentrate, have impaired memory, or fail to accomplish daily tasks. It also can make traveling difficult and can cause depression.

Until recently, there were various competing theories as to the causes of RLS. Prominent theories included:

  1. Iron deficiency;
  2. Dopamine dysregulation;
  3. Infection;
  4. Chronic diseases-kidney failure, diabetes & peripheral neuropathy;
  5. Certain medications;
  6. Pregnancy.

New research, however, indicates that although the above conditions are highly associated with Restless Leg Syndrome, it is underlying chronic inflammation that is causing these conditions in addition to the RLS. Therefore, RLS and the above conditions are actually concurrent side effects of underlying, chronic inflammation.

Groundbreaking research conducted in 2012 revealed “The fact that 95% of the 38 highly-associated RLS conditions are also associated with inflammatory/immune changes suggests the possibility that RLS may be mediated or affected through these mechanisms. Inflammation can be responsible for iron deficiency and hypothetically could cause central nervous system iron deficiency-induced RLS. Alternatively, an immune reaction to gastrointestinal bacteria or other antigens may hypothetically cause RLS by a direct immunological attack on the central or peripheral nervous system.” (1)

Current research suggests that inflammation is the root cause of RLS, as well as the concurrent conditions (once thought to be the source of RLS).

  1. The inflammation causing RLS can also affect iron levels. The scientific community agrees that inflammation can affect iron levels (2). The causality is often confused here: low iron appears to be one of the guilty parties when it comes to RLS symptoms but it is inflammation that is causing the low iron levels. Increasing iron levels will improve RLS symptoms, but addressing the underlying inflammation can actually cure the condition.
  2. Dopamine imbalance and RLS are both caused by inflammation. There are many scientific studies that show that a dopamine imbalance can be due to either low iron levels or caused directly from inflammation (3) (4). Increasing dopamine levels helps with the symptoms, but does not deal with the actual cause. The inflammation that is causing the dopamine imbalance must be dealt with directly if the levels are ever to stabilize.
  3. Infection causes chronic inflammation throughout the body and RLS is simply a “biomarker” revealing the high inflammation.
  4. Chronic conditions such as kidney failure and diabetes are associated with high inflammation throughout the body which then causes the RLS;
  5. Medications hypothesized to cause RLS are known to increase inflammation;
  6. RLS is caused by the higher inflammation found in pregnant women. Many scientific studies show that RLS symptoms are at their worst in the third trimester of pregnancy (5).Studies also show that inflammation levels tend to be higher in pregnant women, especially the third trimester (6).

At CoeurCryo, we have developed a treatment program to address Restless Leg Syndrome without the use of drugs. Pharmaceutical treatment for RLS comes with significant side effects. Our treatment program utilizes whole body cryotherapy to reduce systemic inflammation throughout the body. We see a dramatic improvement in symptoms related to RLS:

  1. pain and tingling is reduced;
  2. mental and physical energy increases;
  3. healthy sleep is restored.

Clinical trials show that whole body cryotherapy reduces inflammation by activating anti-inflammatory processes in the body. These processes include the anti-inflammatory effects of vasoconstriction and bio-chemical responses to cold.

We have experience treating clients with Restless Leg Syndrome and are confident that we can help you! We offer many treatment options to fit in with your budget and schedule. We are open 12 hours/day, 5 days a week to ensure that you receive the most effective, efficient and reliable cryotherapy treatment. Our cryotechnicians are trained in the technology of cryotherapy—but also in the biological science. CoeurCryo offers the safest and most effective cryotherapy for Restless Leg Syndrome and a host of other inflammatory-related health conditions and injuries.

(1) Sleep Med Rev. 2012 Aug;16(4):341-54. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2011.09.003. Epub 2012 Jan 17. Restless legs syndrome–theoretical roles of inflammatory and immune mechanisms. Weinstock LB1, Walters AS, Paueksakon P.

(2) Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Chiari et al 1995  Influence of Acute Inflammation on Iron and Nutritional Status Indexes in Older Inpatients

(3) Journal of Sleep Research : Mizuno et al 2004 CSF iron, ferritin and transferrin levels in restless legs syndrome

(4) J Neurochem. 2007 Mar;100(5):1375-86. Epub 2007 Jan 23. Inflammation induces mitochondrial dysfunction and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the nigrostriatal system.Hunter RL1, Dragicevic N, Seifert K, Choi DY, Liu M, Kim HC, Cass WA, Sullivan PG, Bing G.

(5) “A common sleep disorder in pregnancy: Restless legs syndrome and its predictors.” Balendran J, Champion D, Jaaniste T, Welsh A. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2011 Jun;51(3):262-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.2011.01294.x. Epub 2011 Mar 16.

(6) 2008 Jul;149(7):3470-7. doi: 10.1210/en.2007-1695. Epub 2008 Mar 27. Prokineticin-1: a novel mediator of the inflammatory response in third-trimester human placenta. Denison FC1, Battersby S, King AE, Szuber M, Jabbour HN.

Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Disorders 

Immune-mediated inflammatory disorders are those in which the autoimmune processes have been identified as a cause of the disease. The experience in cryotherapy includes great number of these disorders: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis (with or without arthritis) and multiple sclerosis.

What causes these diseases?

The immune system has highly specialized cells and proteins called cytokines. Under certain physiological conditions and after having detected harmful factors, they develop important functions to protect the human organism and defend it from agents that they destroy using a process of acute inflammation.

The potential to recognize harmful elements for the organism (antigens) appears during the embryonic development. It becomes an effective defense after having faced different pathogens throughout life. Nevertheless, it seems that it might stop working properly due to root causes (endogenous) or secondary causes (acquired). This would produce a loss of some of these specific properties leading to immune tolerance or absence of response to proper and foreign antigens, as well as self-aggressive immune reactions manifested by a chronic primary inflammation that destroys tissue. The cause of this phenomenon is still unknown, but genetic research is helping understand how immunology works. In this context, it has been recently discovered that a fault in chromosome 6 is responsible for the development of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. A risk gene for Crohn’s disease has been found in chromosome 16. This is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine that also produces self- aggression.

Although autoimmune diseases are systemic diseases (the entire body is affected), they also have very specific target organs, body areas where they affect specifically and manifestly. These are:

Cytokine TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor alpha) plays an obvious main role in these processes. The over-production of this protein by cells from the immune system triggers a chain reaction of inflammatory processes that foment self-aggressive function of immune cells. New cytokines are released and activated, and the walls of the blood vessels become permeable to the aggressive immune cells, allowing them to enter the target zone or target organ. These immunological discoveries, especially the destructive effect of TNF-α, have allowed the development of highly efficient treatments for these diseases.

Whole-body Cryotherapy enhances the state of health, reduces pain and signs of inflammation, improves general mobility and allows reducing medicine intake.

Cryotherapy for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia patients often experience a variation in the therapeutic approach strongly dependent on their doctor’s opinion on the cause of the disorder. In fact, the origins of fibromyalgia remain unknown, and the attempts to explain their pathogenic causes are still too weak to establish a standard evidence-based treatment. Unfortunately, this situation leads to frequent changes of doctor, which is very harmful for a successful therapy. Plus, patients do not always believe that great part of the therapeutic potential lies in themselves.
In order to evaluate the therapeutic importance of cold, it is assumed that fibromyalgia is mainly related to a stress and pain management disorder whose characteristics are:

● Chronic development
● Pain of variable intensity throughout the body
● The possibility of a variety of vegetative, functional and mental disorders.

Main symptoms of fibromyalgia

● Spontaneous musculoskeletal pain for more than three months near the spine, between the muscles surrounding the joints, and low pain threshold.
● General increase of tactile sensitivity or when moving the aching areas.
● Memory disturbances.
● Fatigue and asthenia.
● Sleep disorders.
● Morning joint stiffness.
● Headache and migraine.
● Casual depressive mood and state of anxiety.
● Decrease of stress tolerance.

A multi-modal approach is always pursued when treating fibromyalgia. It includes several parts which are not to be forgotten when Whole-body Cryotherapy is used, such as:

Whole-body Cryotherapy has been successfully used for some time now to treat fibromyalgia, but it is only to be used if the patient tolerates it and it does not affect negatively their overall status. However, patients that have gone through heat treatments are often reluctant to believe in therapeutic cold. Nevertheless, people usually change their mind after a test session.

Whole-body Cryotherapy can be objectively proved as better than heat treatments through methods such as the measurement of pain, since chronic pain is the main symptom of fibromyalgia.

Pain in soft parts comes first, and it is often quite severe. There is also a tendency to muscle fatigue. The result: restrictions on joint mobility. After 20 or 30 exposures to cold, great improvements can be achieved. The success rate ranges between 40% and 80 %. These oscillations depend on the possibility of developing a memory for pain. In the interest of a sustainable success, Whole-body Cryotherapy should be combined, if possible, with activation treatments. It is recommended to practice gymnastic exercises within the 3 hours following the cold session. This will slowly increase physical activity and avoid pain. The tension and stretching of muscles should not last long. It must be kept in mind that pain and tension can interfere in the muscle groups to varying degrees. The result is often a cautious attitude towards these muscle groups at the expense of others. The gymnastics have the aim of achieving a balance between these differences. A moderate and controlled endurance exercise can complement the therapeutic exercise program. It is of vital importance to find your own limits and try not to overdo competition exercises, respect fatigue, write down your improvements without pain and admit your results with a positive attitude.

Therefore, Whole-body Cryotherapy can help regulate the level of the affected areas activity. This has a positive influence on sleep disorders that usually come with fibromyalgia, as well as on the depressive mood occasionally observed. Both sleep disorders and depressive mood are usually caused by chronic pain. Thanks to the decrease of pain and balancing effect of cold, it is possible to reach a state of restful sleep after a few days. The effects of the combination of Whole-body Cryotherapy and progressive muscle relaxation by Jacobson have been proved. This technique, along with the interaction with the resulting process of emotional balance, allows appreciating the state of muscle tension and relaxation.

The strong stimulus of cold throughout the body has a regulating effect of the state of capillary walls tension on a superficial level. This, coupled with a physical activity adapted to the capacities of each patient, leads to better mood.

The increase of irrigation of muscles described after the exposure to cold throughout the body might also lead to a regulation of metabolism in musculature and thus to a decrease of general malaise.
Finally, according to a medical study carried out at the Meprysa Polyclinic, endorsed by Dr. Armando Fernández Sánchez on 13 patients suffering from fibromyalgia, the following experimental conclusions were reached:

In conclusion, it can be said that the improvement is faster and more important, outbreaks diminish in users who have done more sessions more and more followed in time.
On the other hand, the general opinion of patients about Whole Body Cryotherapy, which within the different therapeutic alternatives they have tried (pain unit, acupuncture…) is the most satisfactory and effective.

Cryotherapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis

The pathological processes of this autoimmune disease appear mainly in joints. The membrane that covers the joint capsule is inflamed and the structures of cartilage and bone are destroyed. New principles have been adopted for treating this disease (blocking the TNF-α), but the treatment still requires a complex procedure, since rheumatoid arthritis is basically a systemic disease that weakens the whole organism. Then, the medicine or surgical treatment, or eventually kynesiotherapy, physical therapy -use of heat or cold- or psychological support have to be linked to the personal coping strategies of the patients and be coordinated.

An excellent and extensive bibliography about this topic has been published by relevant self-help organizations.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic, chronic and progressive disease whose cure is yet to be found despite all the therapeutic advances. Therefore, this treatment aims to produce a decrease of intensity of the symptoms in order to stop or slow their progression.

Whole-body Cryotherapy must be understood in this context as an additive physiotherapy that can help achieve the objective of the treatment if it is used correctly. It has not been conceived to replace other tested treatments, but the experience and research have shown that it usually helps reduce the medicine intake.

Whole-body Cryotherapy should be used within the framework of a clinical treatment, inpatient, two sessions per day (or three when there is great activity) during 2-3 weeks. Medical evaluations about the progress of the treatment should take place every 2-3 days.

Nevertheless, in outpatient cases, 10-15 sessions of exposure to cold are usually sufficient even when there is a high degree of inflammatory activity. This causes a relief of the symptom picture in terms of pain reduction and movement restrictions.

Therapeutic activities related to movement (kynesiotherapy, physiotherapy…) will not be abandoned under any circumstances during the cryotherapy cycles. Exercise enhances the synovial fluid in joints and benefit the nutrient supply to joint cartilage, which fights muscular atrophy caused by inactivity that would ultimately produce secondary damages, for example to the skeleton.

In essence, a cryotherapy program is advantageous in two different levels:

Pain relief can be kept by increasing the length of time of the cycle regime. The improvement in joint mobility is a long-term result whose effects can be observed during a long period after therapy.

On balance, Whole-body Cryotherapy enhances the state of health, reduces pain and signs of inflammation, improves general mobility and allows reducing medicine intake.