Risks of cryotherapy

Overall, some cryotherapeutic methods are still considered alternative healing methods. Also the effectiveness is not always scientifically substantiated. Therefore, a consultation about the prospects of success, alternatives and risks of cryotherapeutic treatment should always be carried out first.

The most important general risks are as follows: Frostbite: Even a superficial application of cold for a few minutes can lead to frostbite. Tissue can die off in the process. Ice should therefore never be placed directly on the skin to cool deeper tissue.

Ice compresses should be wrapped in a cloth. During cryosurgery, blisters can form in the area of the dead tissue. The blister filled with tissue fluid can open and thus provide an entry port for pathogens.

To avoid this, it is recommended that external treated areas are always covered until healing is complete.

Frostbite: Even a superficial cold application of a few minutes can cause frostbite. Tissue can die in the process.
Ice should therefore never be placed directly on the skin to cool deeper tissue. Ice compresses should be wrapped in a cloth.
During cryosurgery, blistering can occur in the area of the dead tissue. The blister filled with tissue fluid can open up and thus provide an entry port for pathogens. To avoid this, it is recommended that external treated areas are always covered until healing is complete.

Cryotherapy for warts

Warts are benign epithelial growths of the uppermost skin layer (epidermis), which can be clearly distinguished from the surrounding skin and are often slightly raised. They are caused by viruses and can therefore be contagious under certain circumstances. Despite their tendency to recede by themselves after a few months, the rate of recurrence is quite high.

In addition, warts can spread further through selfinfection. Therefore, treatment of warts is often resorted to. Icing (cryotherapy) is one of the most popular and also most successful methods of treating warts.

On the one hand, it is considered more effective than the use of salicylic acid, on the other hand, it is not accompanied by the formation of scars like the surgical removal of the wart. A great advantage is also that with products available in pharmacies, the independent application can be done without a dermatologist. First, an applicator (usually called a probe) is filled with a suitable coolant.

Liquid nitrogen or a diethyl ether-propane mixture is usually used for this purpose. Liquid nitrous oxide or dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) is also used. The probe prepared in this way cools down to less than -50°C within a very short time and can now be placed on the affected skin area for 15 – 25 seconds.

If necessary, this can now be repeated several times. However, care must be taken not to damage deeper tissue layers unnecessarily. The uppermost skin layer is killed by the cold and will be shed in the next few days.

Especially superficially located warts, such as mosaic warts, can be treated this way. Deep-seated types of warts, such as spine warts, however, usually require surgical therapy. The use of a spray to apply the cooling agent is also possible.

However, this procedure is generally considered less effective, as it is more difficult to apply the coolant in a targeted manner and not quite as low temperatures are reached.Both methods can be used by a dermatologist or with products available in the pharmacy itself. In general, no serious side effects are to be expected when using cryotherapy for warts in healthy patients. Blistering after the treatment is possible, but not alarming, even though it may be accompanied by pain.

Wound healing disorders can occur especially in diabetics. If one is not sure whether the affected skin area is actually a wart, it is recommended to consult a dermatologist. In the case of the spinal column, the term cryotherapy covers two different treatments.

On the one hand, this can mean cryotherapy in a cold chamber. In most cases, however, the term is used to refer to freezing, comparable to the treatment of warts. In the specific case of the spine, this refers to the minimally invasive freezing of the vertebral joints and the nerves supplying them (denervation), which will be dealt with in the following sections.

Cryodenervation is used for various chronic pains in the region of the trunk of the body when physiotherapeutic, physical or drug measures in the form of tablets or local anesthesia (injections) no longer lead to permanent pain relief. This includes, for example, facet syndrome (arthrosis of the intervertebral joints), radiating pain after a herniated disc or after disc surgery and pain due to osteoporosis. The better the pain can be localized, the higher the chances of success of the treatment.

Kyrotherapy of the spinal column is performed on an outpatient basis. After comprehensive diagnostics of the spine including neurological and radiological examinations have been performed, the treatment can be carried out without anesthesia under local anesthesia. A carbon dioxide cooled probe is inserted through a small skin incision under imaging control and with the use of a nerve stimulator.

The duration of the procedure itself is about 15 – 20 minutes. After a short subsequent monitoring, the patient can be discharged. As with any other operation, the patient must stop taking blood-thinning medication such as Marcumar.

Cryodenervation is described as very gentle, low-risk and with a good chance of success of about 70%. A reduction of pain occurs immediately during the application and, if successful, leads to a reduction of pain for the next one to two years. A subsequent program to build up the back muscle culture is highly recommended.