The snow is deep on the ground.
Always the light falls
Softly down on the hair of my beloved.
-KENNETH PATCHEN
What is cryotherapy?
Cryotherapy, or cold exposure therapy, is a well researched, scientifically proven method to improve your horses health. Used extensively in human sports and wellness, the benefits of cryotherapy include;
-Increased blood flow
-Decreased inflammation
-Expedited healing
-Temporary pain relief
-Shortened recovery time after exercise
-Short term energy boost
-Increased metabolism
-Mental clarity
-Increased mental toughness
-And many, many others.
Cryotherapy is ideal for equine athletes, injured horses, and even pleasure horses. It is excellent for long term injuries like bowed tendons, as well as short term discomforts like sore muscles from increased work load or for young horses starting training.
I provide cryotherapy through Precision Equine Cryotherapy, a company started by my mentor, Brady Case, who worked in the human athlete world for many years as a physical therapist. Five years ago he decided he wanted to bring the benefits of cold therapy to the horse world, and so he started Precision Equine Cryotherapy to do just that. To learn more about cryotherapy, PE Cryo, or Brady, visit his website https://www.pecryo.com/
Using a special applicator, Brady’s process is simple and portable. Requiring no water, ice, or tubs, I can bring the power of cold therapy to you.
Cryotherapy is also coupled with a deep tissue, myofascial massage technique called Muscle Scraping
The more we learn about the equine (and human) body, the more we come to understand the vital importance of fascial health. Fascia is a plentiful connective tissue that envelopes every muscle, organ, blood vessel, nerve, and bone. It is a thin, membrane-like tissue that is very closely connected with the nervous system (sending signals 30,000x faster than nerves do), making fascia the first, and in my opinion the most important, communication system in our bodies.
Because of this vital role, fascia is easily effected by our thoughts and emotions, as well as physical exertion and stagnancy. Unhealthy fascia is capable of trapping viruses, bacteria, emotions, memories, and movement patterns that leave us and our horses feeling anxious, sick, stiff, sore, depressed, easily spooked, and overall unwell. Unhealthy fascia can even effect our digestive and respiratory health.
Muscle scraping is a technique of massage that originates from ancient Asia. It incorporates the use of specialized stainless steel tools that allow the practitioner to release knots, scars, and adhesions deep in the fascial tissue, increasing flexibility up to 70% after the first session. Other benefits include better blood flow, nerve function and sensitivity to the area worked, softening of old movement patterns, as well as emotional and trauma releases. This type of massage also allows for faster and greater muscle growth, as the fascia surrounding the muscle is less tight and dry.