If you’ve ever put off getting a procedure because you were nervous about the needle, you’re not alone. Fear of injections is one of the most common reasons people delay treatment ā sometimes for months ā while their pain gets worse. At Collective Footcare, we’ve always prioritized making your experience as comfortable as possible, and we’re excited to share that we’ve added a new tool to help us do exactly that.
We can now use theĀ Zimmer Cryo cooling systemĀ during therapeutic injections, and it’s changing the way our patients experience treatment.
What Is the Zimmer Cryo System?
The Zimmer is a medical-grade device that delivers a precise, controlled stream of cold air to the skin immediately before and during an injection. The rapid cooling temporarily numbs the surface of the skin, calming the nerve endings before the needle even makes contact.
It’s not ice. It’s not a spray. It’s a carefully calibrated stream of cooled air that works in seconds and the difference it makes is remarkable.
What Does It Feel Like?
Most patients describe the sensation as a brief, cool puff of air, similar to the feeling of air conditioning on your skin. By the time the needle goes in, the area is already desensitized. Many patients tell us they barely feel the initial ‘pinch’ of the injection at all.
No numbing cream to apply. No long wait. Just a few seconds of cooling, then the treatment is done.
What Injections Do We Use It For?
We use the Zimmer cryo system across a range of therapeutic injections we offer at our Hamilton clinic, including:
- Cortisone injectionsĀ for plantar fasciitis, heel pain, bursitis, and inflammation
- Injections for Morton’s neuromaĀ (nerve pain between the toes)
- Corticosteroid injectionsĀ for Achilles tendon conditions
- Injections for individual toes for nail surgeries and ingrown toenail procedures
If you’ve been told you need an injection but have been putting it off, this may be the difference you’ve been waiting for.
What About Nail Procedures?
The Zimmer doesn’t just help with therapeutic injections. It’s also made a meaningful difference for patients coming in for minor nail procedures likeĀ ingrown toenail surgeryĀ or nail avulsions.
If you’ve had one of these procedures before, you may remember that the most uncomfortable part isn’t the surgery itself, it’s the local anesthetic injection used to freeze the toe beforehand. The digital nerve block, as it’s called, involves a small injection at the base of the toe, and for many patients, that moment is the one they dread most.
With the Zimmer, we cool the skin at the injection site for a few seconds before the needle goes in. By the time the block is administered, the area is already desensitized, and most patients are genuinely surprised by how little they feel.
If you’ve been putting off dealing with a painful ingrown nail because you’re anxious about the needles, we’d encourage you to come in and talk to us. The procedure itself is quick and straightforward, and with the Zimmer, the part most people worry about is now far more manageable than you might expect.
Why This Matters for Your Care
Therapeutic injections, particularly cortisone, can be genuinely powerful tools for breaking the cycle of inflammation and pain. They allow patients to move more comfortably, engage in rehabilitation, and get back to the things they love faster.
The problem is that injection anxiety is real, and it often stops people from accessing treatment that could help them significantly. When the barrier to treatment is discomfort at the needle, removing that barrier matters clinically, not just cosmetically.
By combining the Zimmer with our careful injection technique, we’re able to offer a treatment experience that is both highly effective and remarkably comfortable.
Available in Hamilton
The Zimmer cryo cooling system is currently available at Collective Footcare & Orthotics in Hamilton. If you’re looking for a more comfortable injection experience and you’re in the Hamilton area, we’d love to help.
Ready to finally address that foot pain?Ā Book an appointment online or give us a call. Our team will walk you through exactly what to expect.
šĀ Collective Footcare & Orthotics, HamiltonĀ āĀ collectivefootcare.ca
Benjamin Wilkinson is a Registered Chiropodist and the founder of Collective Footcare & Orthotics in Hamilton and Port Dover Foot Clinic. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Podiatry from the University of Northampton and is a board member of the Ontario Society of Chiropodists.