5 Types of Sports Teams That Could Use Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is now very popular in the sports community worldwide and athletes use it for after-exercise recovery. Athletes in the past used ice baths, but cryo chambers and other cryo equipment offer more effective and focused cooling, improving the treatment’s effectiveness.
Studies have also shown that the use of this technology in sports has a positive influence on athletes’ autonomic function, antioxidant capacity, and inflammatory mediators.¹
Zion Williamson recovering in the XR Cryotherapy Chamber
The main benefits of cryotherapy for athletes include reduction of fatigue, boosting energy levels, and treatment of bruised or swollen muscles. Here are some types of sports teams that could use cryotherapy.
Top Cryotherapy Related Sports
Basketball
Basketball is an extreme sport that requires a lot of running, shoving, jumping, and sudden stops. Athletes engaging in this sport often suffer from muscle swelling and sprains, or ankle and knee injuries. The vigor of the game also means long recovery hours. This is why it is not a surprise that basketball teams were among the first sports corporations to get cryotherapy treatment for their players. Basketball players do cryo to assist in injury recovery, pain relief, and treatment of inflammation.
Tennis
An intense tennis match can take a toll on the player’s body. This is why It is normal for professionals to be unable to train or play for a few days after a tough game. Since tennis involves running, quick turns, and immediate stops, the players are susceptible to muscle soreness and strain, especially on the wrists and ankles, and back pain. The overuse of arm muscles can also cause lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). Cryotherapy machines help improve muscle conditions. Cryotherapy loosens muscles and increases range of motion for the players, which is important for top tennis athletes.
Track and Field Athletics
In addition to the fierce competition most people witness, track and field sports involve high-intensity training and conditioning, usually all year round. The irregularity of the premier competitions increases injury risk to the athletes, especially when it comes to muscle strains. Cryotherapy loosens muscles before and after intense training and competitions to reduce this risk.
Soccer
Professional soccer players play back-to-back games, with little recovery time between matches and training. This can cause a huge strain in player performances and increase the chances of muscle injuries. An athlete’s ability to perform professionally, especially in a competitive contact sport like soccer, requires them to reduce their recovery time and have muscles ready to perform. The adoption of cryotherapy technology in the sport has been nothing but a revelation to the sport’s physicians and medical teams. The medical staff can now easily treat and prevent common injuries.
Football
Football has gained a reputation for being one of the most dangerous sports when it comes to injuries, sidelining athletes for weeks, months or sometimes ending their careers. According to the NFL Physicians Society, the most common injuries to sideline a player are strains to the hamstrings, quads, and calves.² Cryotherapy may help with the treatment of these overuse injuries and provide inflammation relief for the players.
Cryotherapy and Other Types of Sports
An alternative to the sports mentioned above is eSports. The use of cryo in gaming may just be the next big thing. Athletes and players are increasingly using cryotherapy to shorten recovery times and treat muscle and other minor injuries. Gamers can too take advantage of cryo, removing the limit on the adoption of cryotherapy to any one type of activity.
Founded on facts: for peer-reviewed articles, scholarly journals, and articles cited above please see the below sources.
Whole-body cryotherapy: empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3956737/
What are the most common injuries and medical problems among football players? - https://nflps.org/faqs/what-are-the-most-common-injuries-and-medical-problems-among-football-players/
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