Whole-Body Cryotherapy

Whole-body cryotherapy exposes the body to extremely cold air — typically −110°C to −140°C — in a special chamber for two to four minutes, marketed for recovery and soreness.

What published research reports

A Cochrane systematic review (2015) of whole-body cryotherapy for muscle soreness after exercise reported that there was insufficient evidence to determine whether it reduces soreness or improves recovery compared with rest or other interventions, because the available trials were few, small and at risk of bias. A review in Frontiers in Physiology (2017) summarises the proposed mechanisms and reports mixed findings across athlete studies, describing protocols and safety screening used in research settings. The published evidence base for cryotherapy chambers is therefore weaker than for cold water immersion, which has its own entry in this section.

References

• Costello JT, et al. Whole-body cryotherapy (extreme cold air exposure) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015. PubMed
• Lombardi G, Ziemann E, Banfi G. Whole-Body Cryotherapy in Athletes: From Therapy to Stimulation. Front Physiol. 2017;8:258. PubMed