Cryostimulation for Post-exercise Recovery in Athletes: A Consensus and Position Paper

Abstract

Recovery after exercise is a crucial key in preventing muscle injuries and in speeding up the processes to return to homeostasis level. There are several ways of developing a recovery strategy with the use of different kinds of traditional and up-to-date techniques. The use of cold has traditionally been used after physical exercise for recovery purposes. In recent years, the use of whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (WBC; an extreme cold stimulation lasting 1-4 min and given in a cold room at a temperature comprised from -60 to -195°C) has been tremendously increased for such purposes. However, there are controversies about the benefits that the use of this technique may provide. Therefore, the main objectives of this paper are to describe what is whole body cryotherapy/cryostimulation, review and debate the benefits that its use may provide, present practical considerations and applications, and emphasize the need of customization depending on the context, the purpose, and the subject's characteristics. This review is written by international experts from the working group on WBC from the International Institute of Refrigeration.

Keywords: cold therapy; cryostimulation; cryotherapy; recovery; sport recovery; whole-body cryostimulation; whole-body cryotherapy.

Figure 1

1: Cryosauna: Principle with liquid N2/direct injection/PBC/individual. 2: Cryochamber: Principle with liquid N2/indirect injection/WBC/individual or collective. 3: Cryochamber: Principle with mechanical refrigeration (single stage)/WBC/collective.