Some studies suggest that whole-body cryotherapy about three hours before a competition may improve athletic performance.
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Cryotherapy for Athletes
Cryotherapy is the practice of exposing your body to very cold temperatures, such as an ice bath, a cold shower, or a cryo-chamber (an enclosed device that exposes the body to extremely cold air cooled by Nitrogen). Some forms of cryotherapy have been practiced for centuries in various cultures around the world, and research suggests it may have therapeutic benefits for athletes both pre- and post-training.
Brian George is a performance recovery specialist with Mass General Brigham. According to Brian, "Here at the Center for Sports Performance and Research, we recognize that elite athletes are looking to harness the power of cryotherapy to gain a competitive edge before an important competition, boost their energy before an intense workout, or speed their recovery and reduce inflammation after strenuous activity. Our cryotherapy facility is clean, spacious, and professionally managed. It's a convenient place to try cryo for the first time, or to commit to integrating the therapy into your regular recovery practices.”
Cryotherapy is not recommended as a medical treatment, but rather as a tool to aid athletic recovery. This offering is supervised and recommended to some athletes based on individual needs and goals, considering overall health and wellness history.
Benefits of cryotherapy
The formal study of cryotherapy, especially whole-body cryotherapy using nitrogen-cooled air, is a relatively new field. However, available evidence indicates that cryotherapy may have benefits for athletes, including:
- Hormone regulation: Cold exposure is linked to higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol, which may improve athletic performance.
- Nervous system effects: Cryotherapy may provoke changes in neurotransmitters like dopamine and increase activity between the sympathetic nervous system and skeletal muscle, inducing a faster heart rate. These effects may help to prime an athlete for performance.
- Psychological well-being: In some studies, participants who received whole-body cryotherapy reported improved mood and sense of well-being. Considering the role of psychology in high-level competition, improved mood and reduced stress may help athletes perform at their best.
- Reduced post-training discomfort: Some studies show that post-exercise cold exposure can reduce perceived muscle soreness after training.
- Improved performance: Cold-water immersion after a workout has been positively linked to multiple performance measures, including muscular power, muscle soreness, and perceived recovery.
How does cryotherapy work?
Cryotherapy for athletes usually takes one of two forms: selective submergence in ice baths, or whole-body cryotherapy using a device called a cryo-chamber that exposes the athlete to extremely cold air (as cold as -200 degrees Fahrenheit).
In response to extreme cold, the body performs an "emergency reaction" to accelerate blood flow to the core to maintain optimal temperature. This reaction also activates the sympathetic nervous system, changing hormone and neurotransmitter levels. After leaving the cold environment, blood flows back to the limbs and other peripheral areas, bringing a rich supply of resources prepared by the body to combat the "emergency" situation.
Considerations for cryotherapy
Cryotherapy for athletes works, at least in part, by activating a stress response. As a result, it can be an intense experience. It may be contraindicated for those with heart problems, especially in the extreme temperatures of whole-body cryotherapy. Ice baths and cold-water immersion use less extreme temperatures, allowing people to gradually build their resistance to the cold to lessen the shock.
In some cases, the intense cold of cryotherapy can cause a drop in blood pressure, leading to dizziness and fainting. “Because of the extreme cold involved, cryotherapy can be a shock to the system,” George warns. “A cryotherapy chamber leverages the latest in recovery technology to allow supervised monitoring of users’ physiological response to the therapy, including extremely precise temperature control. To maximize safety, cryotherapy should only be applied in controlled and supervised environments like the one we provide at the Center for Sports Performance and Research.”
Extreme cold exposure that lasts too long can cause tissue damage. That may be more of a problem for ice baths and cold-water immersion, where people may spend more time in the cold, than for whole-body cryotherapy, where sessions are strictly timed due to the extreme temperatures involved.
FAQs about cryotherapy for athletes
Cryotherapy may have benefits, including improved psychological well-being, faster recovery, and improved performance. However, cryotherapy in sports medicine is still a new and experimental approach, and studies are currently inconclusive.
Cryotherapy is not recommended for pregnant people or those with heart conditions.
Some studies that show the positive effects of cryotherapy for athletes use a "three times a week" model. Doing sports cryotherapy three times per week may be a good place to start.
Cryotherapy doesn't directly burn calories the way that exercise does. However, your body will need to burn more energy to maintain a healthy body temperature. It's unclear exactly how cryotherapy affects your metabolism and energy consumption.
Proponents of cryotherapy claim that a low environmental temperature affects energy consumption by activating brown fat tissue, which helps your body burn fat. Some studies suggest that whole-body cryotherapy may be a worthwhile addition to fat-loss protocols in some people.
However, cryotherapy is still relatively new, and our understanding of its effects is constantly evolving.
It depends. Cryotherapy sessions haven't been shown to hinder recovery or post-workout adaptations. However, staying in the cold too long, especially in the extreme temperatures of whole-body cryotherapy, can damage tissues through frostbite.
Some studies show that a single session of cold exposure may benefit testosterone levels, norepinephrine levels, and metabolic recovery, though most study designs use multiple rounds over a longer period.
