WHITEFISH – The Chiropractor is not a traditional practice in any sense. Beyond its open floor plan, nestled in a secluded corner, stands a cylindrical chamber with liquid nitrogen misting out of the top. As the cloud clears, a person comes into focus and steps out of the tank.
This is the process of cryotherapy, a form of therapeutic treatment not only new to Whitefish, but also to Tim Dudley, owner of The Chiropractor.
“I never really had any extra tools,” Dudley said, referring to his former practice in Boise, Idaho. Dudley believed that if a patient received too many types of therapies, they would dilute the healing process.
A licensed chiropractor of 18 years, Dudley opened his new practice in the beginning of May at 124 Central Ave in downtown Whitefish. Dudley’s philosophy had been to assist the body in healing itself through traditional chiropractic adjustments. But after he badly injured his back three-and-a-half years ago, a fellow chiropractor suggested that he try cryotherapy. Dudley heeded the advice and signed up for 10 sessions of cryo and found the results to be impressive.
“My pain level decreased by 70 percent by the end of the 10 treatments,” Dudley said. “Each time I would feel better, and by the final session it was undeniable that I had improved.”
The process of cryotherapy stimulates the body from the outside. Patients step into the cryotherapy chamber onto a platform that adjusts to their height so that the tank comes up to their shoulders. Standing with their head sticking out the top, the patient’s body is continuously misted with liquid nitrogen. At its peak, the gas reaches a temperature of negative-230 degrees, cooling the skin’s temperature to around 50 degrees.
The skin’s temperature tells the mind that the body is in harm, which forces the blood vessels to constrict. The freezing temperature triggers the brain to stimulate the circulatory system and drive blood through the lungs and into the core. In this state of fight or flight, the body’s natural repairing systems are enhanced. The patient’s antioxidant levels increase as the body thinks it’s being harmed and prepares for the damage. But the body is never damaged.
When patients emerge from the chamber, their highly oxygenated blood is filtered through their bodies, reaching the regions that were heavily inflamed from an existing injury. The blood returns to its normal pace of circulation, while the plasma-infused blood rests on the inflamed areas of the body, beginning to intensely heal these injuries. Each session is between two and three minutes long.
“The procedure triggers natural responses in the body that allows it to heal and repair itself without injections or medication,” he said.
When Dudley opened his 2,300-square-foot practice in Whitefish, his decision to include cryotherapy was inevitable.
“If I was going to put the energy in starting another practice, I wanted it to be special,” he said. “Cryotherapy added an element of excitement and brought a whole new energy to the practice.”
Cryotherapy is gaining popularity across the country among well-known athletes in the NFL, NBA and Olympics, including LeBron James and Usain Bolt. Dudley is finding that the combination of chiropractic adjustments and cryotherapy has produced superior results. Along with the alignment corrections from the adjustments, cryotherapy improves the body’s ability to repair itself.
“Cryo resets a lot of the body’s system that becomes stagnant due to constant stress and injury,” he said.
Before getting in chiropractic medicine, Dudley competed in rodeo for years. He opened a practice in Boise and started a family there. After living in Boise for 18 years, he had the urge to explore new fields and began public motivational speaking. He eventually decided to call Whitefish home and opened The Chiropractor.
“In the valley, we reconnect with nature and ourselves,” he said. “I think we come to Whitefish to quiet the mind and feel deeply.”
For more information, visit www.thechiropractorwhitefish.com or call (406) 730-2233.