Nitrogen vs. Electric Cryotherapy
The most important difference between electric and nitrogen, is that electric cryotherapy uses freshly oxygenated cool air to fill the chamber with no risk of exposure to harmful gas. Nitrogen cryotherapy uses liquid nitrogen to cool the chamber with a forced air cooling effect from the feet up creating uneven cooling effects. Additionally, the clients head outside of the tank for required ventilation leaving not only the head but also the neck and shoulders untreated.
Benefits/Risks of Each Modality
With electric cryotherapy, you are able to expose your entire body to the ultra-low temperatures which results in true WHOLE body cooling. Again, this is because you are in a refrigerated cooled air chamber which is completely safe to breathe. Studies have found that with whole body exposure there are more positive reactions which stem from activating the CNS (Central Nervous System). With nitrogen cryotherapy, you have to keep your head and chest above the treatment area because the chamber is full of nitrogen and it can be very dangerous when inhaled. Additionally, this type of partial cooling targets lower body extremities with minimized cooling effects as it travels up the body towards the top of the chamber yielding less physiological reactions. Because liquid nitrogen is dangerous when exposed to it, there are some very real concerns when it comes to nitrogen cryotherapy chambers. Some have reported forced air burns, lightheadedness, and respiratory issues. Electric cryotherapy on the other hand, has a safety database of 500,000+ treatments with zero incidents.