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

Romain Bouzigon,Jean-Pierre Bernard,Dimitri Theurot,Ivo Tiemessen,Massimo De Nardi,Giovanni Lombardi,Benoit Michel Dugué,Olivier Dupuy,Elzbieta Dorota Miller,Thibaud Mihailovic

doi:10.3389/fspor.2021.688828

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.

Highlights

Concerning sport competition and training, a well-organized training program combined with appropriate recovery strategies are keys for success
whole-body cryostimulation (WBC) is defined as extreme cold therapy or stimulation which is applied by placing a subject in a cold room, for 1–3 or 4 min, where the air temperature can reach extremely low values
An alternative is the use of partial-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (PBC) where the subject’s body is exposed in a cabin but the head is not exposed (Bouzigon et al, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

Concerning sport competition and training, a well-organized training program combined with appropriate recovery strategies are keys for success. Different kinds of strategies for enhancing recovery and recovery capacities have been developed and quite recently, we presented a series of meta-analysis dealing with the use of different recovery techniques after physical exercise (training and/or competition) to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation. Among the reviewed recovery techniques, whole-body cryotherapy or whole-body cryostimulation (WBC) was shown to positively impact the recovery. An alternative is the use of partial-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (PBC) where the subject’s body is exposed in a cabin but the head is not exposed (Bouzigon et al, 2016)

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion