Zion Williamson and Cryotherapy
What does cryotherapy and the NBA #1 Draft pick Zion Williamson have in common? They meet together after every practice. Zion may still be a young man, but the average NBA career is only 4.5 years. Staying in the game requires a proactive approach to recovery, and whole body cryotherapy has become the favorite of professional athletes around the world. Zion was recently in a commercial doing cryotherapy in the XR Cryotherapy Chamber made by Cryo Innovations.
Zion and Knee Surgery
Zion in the XR Cryotherapy Chamber. Courtesy
Entering the NBA at the age of 19 brought about a surprise with Zion's health: he required knee surgery. According to the Pelicans he underwent a successful "debridement" of his meniscus, which is different than a full suturing or repair of the meniscus. This specific surgery, basically a trimming of the meniscus, has a quicker recovery time. But concerns are already being voiced as the future of Zion's knees remains unknown.
NBA and Cryotherapy
Most NBA players like Zion Williamson use cryotherapy on a regular basis. LeBron James uses cryotherapy regularly as part of his million-dollar-per-year recovery program to keep him in the game. Basketball is notoriously hard on every major joint in the human body. Teams invest in their players by helping them recover after games. In the past this was often done with an ice bath. Now cryotherapy has replaced ice baths throughout the league.
Why Cryotherapy is Better
Ice baths do help sore muscles by reducing inflammation, but they take a long time to prepare and use. Furthermore, only one person can use the bath at a time, making it difficult for teams to treat everyone. In contrast, cryotherapy is a 3 minute dry treatment that produces all the effects of an ice bath and more. Unlike an ice bath cryotherapy produces a fight-or-flight response due to the extreme cold. Many peer-reviewed clinical studies have documented findings of:
Zion Williamson uses cryotherapy after each game.
Learn more about the benefits of cryotherapy and go through the many cryotherapy clinical studies.