Is it suitable for me?

4 quick questions…

Your answers stay in your browser — nothing is sent to us or saved.

Are you currently suffering from pain?

Yes No

Is the pain impacting your life?

Yes No

Is the pain caused by a diagnosed condition?

Yes No

Have you recently suffered an injury?

Yes No

What should I do next?

This is not a medical assessment. Full screening happens at your first appointment.

For most healthy adults, applying cold to a painful area is a low-risk thing to do. For some people it is not, and for a few it is not safe at all. This is the honest version of that list.

How we decide

Nobody has cold therapy at Cryo Recovery Suite without being assessed first, by a practitioner registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

We work to a written safety standard with four possible outcomes at every visit: proceed, pause and find out more, do not treat, or wait until we have clarified something with the manufacturer. A machine having a setting for something does not mean it is right for you — that judgement is the practitioner’s, and it is made again every time you come.

If we are not confident, we will not do it. If we think something needs your GP first, we will tell you.

• We cannot treat you

  Some conditions rule cold therapy out entirely. That decision is not negotiable and it is not a judgement about you.

• We need to know more first

  Some conditions and medicines mean we need a proper conversation before we go ahead. Most of these end in yes.

• We check again every visit

  Health changes. The questions are asked at every session, not just the first.

Areas we never treat

Regardless of anything else, and on the manufacturer’s instruction, we do not apply this treatment over:

• the chest and heart area
• the head
• the pelvis
• the testicles

When we cannot treat you

If any of these apply, we will not proceed. This is not a judgement about you and it is not negotiable — several of them come directly from the manufacturer’s own contraindications.

Circulation and blood

• Phlebitis, thrombophlebitis or varicose veins.
• Occlusive arterial disease, or a condition affecting how your blood clots, including haemophilia.
• Cryoglobulinaemia.
• Raynaud’s phenomenon. Cold is the main trigger for the colour changes, pain and numbness it causes. The NHS advice for Raynaud’s is to keep warm and avoid sudden temperature changes, which is the opposite of what we do.
• Significant heart disease.

Other

• Pregnancy, and breastfeeding or recent childbirth.
• A previous organ transplant.
• Active cancer or a suspected tumour, and significant acute inflammatory illness. Please speak to your oncology or medical team.
• Cold urticaria — an allergic-type reaction to cold, reported following cold therapy in a clinical setting (case report, 2022).
• Under 18. We see adults only.

When we need to know more first

These do not automatically rule you out, but they do stop us proceeding until we have understood them properly. Please tell us if any apply.

• Allergies, including to creams and gels — a protective product is used on the skin during every treatment.
• Reduced or altered sensation anywhere near the area. If you cannot feel cold properly, you cannot tell us when it is too much.
• Any skin problem in or near the area — infection, inflammation, a rash, broken skin, scratches or a recent injury.
• Poor circulation in the area, including where diabetes affects your circulation or sensation.
• Any medication you are taking, prescribed or over the counter. Bring the full list.
• A neurological condition, including epilepsy.
• A temperature of 38°C or above, or feeling unwell.
• Osteoporosis or another bone condition.
• Blood pressure that is too high or too low, or not well controlled.
• Treatment you are currently having at a hospital or clinic for the same or a related problem.
• A previous gastric bypass or gastric band.
• Anything that has changed since your last visit — a new diagnosis, new medication, an injury, surgery, a skin change, or a reaction to your last session.

If we cannot place what you describe confidently within what we do, we will say so and help you find the right person instead.

Before every session

Every visit, before anything is switched on:

• We look at the area properly. If the skin is broken, infected or not right, we stop there.
• We clean the area with lukewarm water. Not alcohol — it irritates skin that is about to be cooled.
• We check nothing has changed since last time.
• A protective product goes onto the skin. The treatment is never applied to bare skin.
• Jewellery, watches and anything metal come off.

What it feels like, and possible side effects

Being straight about this is part of consent.

• A strong cold sensation during the treatment. Intense, but it should never be sharp or burning. Tell us and we stop.
• Mild redness in the area afterwards, and sometimes a feeling of tenderness or unease. Common, and short-lived.
• Numbness in the area for a while afterwards.
• Skin irritation in some people.
• Cold injury to skin or nerve — uncommon, and the reason for controlled equipment, defined times, a protective product, continuous movement of the applicator, and someone staying with you rather than leaving you to it.

If anything unusual happens after a session, call us on 07557 077699.

What this is not

Cryo Recovery Suite does not diagnose, and we are not a replacement for your GP, your rheumatologist or your physiotherapist. We do not claim to cure arthritis or reverse joint damage.

See a doctor rather than us if:

• The pain is new, or has changed character recently.
• A joint is hot, red and swollen, or you have a fever.
• You have had a fall or an injury.
• You have unexplained weight loss, night pain that wakes you, or you feel generally unwell.
• You have new numbness, weakness or pins and needles.
• The pain is getting worse despite treatment.

Your GP, NHS 111, or your existing consultant is the right first call. Never stop or change prescribed treatment because you have started coming here.

If you are not sure

Book the assessment and ask. It is £39, credited back if you go on to have sessions, and being told not for you, and here is why is a perfectly good outcome for it.

Book your £39 assessment