This past May, athletes from far and wide attending the National Senior Games gathered at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park in Fort Lauderdale, FL to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest Game of Freeze Dance – an effort meant to raise awareness of non-opioid pain management techniques among this aging, yet active, population. A total of 1,308 individuals participated in the record-breaking game of freeze dance, which beat the previous record of 1,079 by over 200. An official adjudicator from Guinness World Records was onsite for the event to confirm the new title.
Freeze dance was specifically selected as a nod to the benefits of cryoneurolysis, a process that temporarily freezes nerves, harnessing the body’s natural response to cold in order to provide prolonged pain relief to a treatment area. This innovative intervention can help patients living with knee osteoarthritis (OA), a painful degenerative joint disease that frequently impacts people above the age of 55, to experience effective pain relief.
The National Senior Games is the largest multi-sport championship event in the world for adults 50 and over. This year, there were more than 11,000 qualified athletes from every state and beyond who were expected to compete in 23 different medal sports.
Testing their athletic ability, participants were challenged to freeze in various positions like a push up or standing on one leg whenever the music paused. After a fierce competition, Jesse Lee Falling from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who attended the National Senior Games as a coach for his mom, was announced as the official winner.
While physical activity is important to prevent knee OA, many active patients are at a higher risk of developing the condition due to the constant friction of the joint. This event aimed to remind participants that they have options when it comes to their pain management journey, and that there are non-opioid options like freeze therapy technology—or cryoneurolysis—available to help patients continue playing the games they love.
Many patients who have experienced this type of pain management express it has been key in their ability to stay active. This option, alongside other alternatives like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, can also help patients experience an overall enhanced recovery from a knee replacement procedure with limited opioid exposure when used prior to surgery.
For patients struggling with knee OA or in need of a knee replacement, learn more about different pain treatment options available for pain management before visiting your doctor.
The event was sponsored by Pacira BioSciences, Inc.
PP-NP-US-1329