Georgetown adds cryotherapy to new athletic center

Georgetown has been ahead of the trend of cryotherapy and continues to redouble its investment in the technology.

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The John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center at Georgetown University is opening on Thursday and giving student-athletes a new option of treatment and competitive advantage—cryosaunas.

Impact Cryotherapy designs and manufactures cryosaunas, which are used by athletes and others all over the world to complement their fitness trailing as well as heath and wellness initiatives.

“Our partnership with Impact Cryotherapy is appreciated on many levels,” Georgetown AD Lee Reed said in a statement. “It is consistent with our mission of offering the best possible care for out student-athletes and it allows us to offer cutting-edge technology that was not previously available.”

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Georgia Tech became the first NCAA Division I athletic program to adopt Impact Cryotherapy’s chamber in 2014, and cryotherapy is now become a popular trend.

There are currently half a dozen schools using Atlanta-based Impact Cryotherapy, including the Wake Forest men’s basketball team and the University of Georgia.

Whole body cryotherapy is a high-tech ice bath, where the users will stand in the cryosauna filled with nitrogen vapor at temperatures ranging from -90°C to -120°C for about three minutes, according to the company.

This replaces the typical 20 minutes in a tub of ice water that can be painful and daunting. Cryotherapy is a dry and less painful cold. The skin reacts to this cold and sends messages to the brain that acts as a stimulant to the regulatory functions of the body.

“While the medical research community is still evaluating claims regarding whole body cryotherapy’s lasting physical effects, cryotherapy is claimed by many who have experienced it as providing an invigorating, euphoric experience and is used as an alternative to traditional ice baths,” Georgetown assistant AD for student-athlete health and wellness Shawn Hendi said in a statement. “We were eager to offer cryotherapy to our student-athletes due to its popularity among a wide range of fitness enthusiasts and athletes around the globe. Impact Cryotherapy has the premier reputation among manufacturers of cryosaunas and we were happy to work with them to make this a reality.”