Science of Sports, PT & Ortho

Thermal Shock Explained

The use of CO2 at -78.5°C under high pressure causes the skin temperature to fall from 32°C to 4°C within 30 seconds; this reaction is known as a : thermal shock This activates the cutaneous neuroreceptors, generating an immediate remote corrective reflex in the organism that activates the NEUROVEGETATIVE system. This produces several effects: on endocrinal and enzymatic production, an inhibitive effect on pain receptors through the reduction of sodium pump activity, the relaying of nervous impulses, the activation of the vasomotor reflex of the vascular, and lymphatic systems. There is an additional, muscle relaxant effect, observable in the reduction in muscle tone.