cryotherapy is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy . Cryotherapy is used to treat a variety of benign and malignant tissue damage, medically called lesions . The term "cryotherapy" comes from the Greek cryo (κρύο) meaning cold , and therapy (θεραπεία) meaning cure . Cryotherapy has been used as early as the seventeenth century. Its goal is to decrease cell growth and reproduction ( cellular metabolism ), increase cellular survival, decrease inflammation , decrease pain and spasm, promote the constriction of blood vessels ( vasoconstriction ), and when using extreme temperatures, to destroy cells by crystallizing the cytosol , which is the liquid found inside cells, also known as intracellular fluid (ICF).The most prominent use of the term refers to the surgical treatment, specifically known as cryosurgery . Other therapies that use the term are whole-body cryotherapy and ice pack therapy . Cryosurgery Cryo