Cryotherapy, or “ice bath,” uses freezing temperatures to promote pain relief and muscle healing. Cryotherapy has become popular with athletes such as Michael Phelps and Floyd Mayweather who rely on it after strenuous workouts or to speed recovery from muscle soreness.
Cold therapy has long been touted as an effective means to increase energy levels, aid fat burning and even reverse the signs of aging; however, scientific evidence does not back these claims up.
Recover from muscle soreness and speed healing
Studies show that whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) can aid recovery from muscle soreness, speed healing of joint damage and increase metabolism. This popular treatment method, done by standing inside an ice cold chamber for several minutes at wellness centers, fitness clubs or pop-up shops, has become increasingly popular with athletes in recent years.
Cryotherapy for athletes works on two fronts.
- First, extreme cold can numb nerves and reduce sensitivity to pain – this effect is known as Cold-Induced Analgesia or CRI.
- Second, CRI triggers physiological hormone responses such as adrenaline and noradrenaline which stimulate blood vessels dilate for improved delivery of nutrients and oxygen to an injured area.
WBC’s cold temperature can not only ease pain, but it can also decrease muscle spasms, edema accumulation and hypoxic cell death–all factors which slow healing processes. Furthermore, treatment triggers the release of proinflammatory molecules like IGF-1 that help promote cell termination while simultaneously decreasing inflammation.
As part of your treatment, it is important to be wary of touching your skin directly to avoid frostbite. Furthermore, if you suffer from conditions like diabetes that impair sensation in affected areas, such as hypoesthesia or peripheral neuropathy, long-term exposure to cold should be limited and extended exposure should be minimized for maximum comfort and minimal risk. It is also wise to stop treatment immediately should any discomfort arise or if your skin reacts adversely to its cold.
So Many Advantages For Athletes
Cryotherapy for athletes offers many advantages, one being its ability to increase muscle endurance. When exposed to low temperatures during treatment, your body produces more erythrocytes and nutrients to supply core organs with blood. When you leave the cryosauna, thermoreceptors recognize your return to a normal temperature, prompting vasodilation which expands blood vessels so more enriched blood can reach peripheral body parts again.
Are You an Athlete? Cryotherapy Can Help! Cryotherapy offers athletes a natural, safe way to recover from muscle soreness and injuries more quickly so they can spend more time training out and playing sports.
My passion for martial arts goes beyond practice; it is a philosophy that shapes my writing, bringing a distinctive edge to my narratives and advice. I hold black belts in two martial arts disciplines and have competed internationally, experiences that enrich my storytelling with authenticity and excitement.