Benefits of Cryotherapy for Athletes

Regardless of your sport, there are a few unique challenges that all athletes experience. Some of them can interrupt or make training more difficult. In your quest to find relief for frustrating symptoms like muscle soreness, do not overlook the world of cryotherapy.

Well, what exactly is cryotherapy and how can it help athletes? Let us explain.

What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is steeped in the understanding that cold therapy is very powerful. Most of the population has no doubt used an ice pack, or even a frozen bag of peas at some point to ease swelling on an injury. Cryotherapy uses similar principles to aid in injury recovery and more.

A cryotherapy session will most likely involve you standing in a full body chamber, leaving only your head exposed. Then, liquid nitrogen is added to the chamber in order to bring down your body temperature, although never touching the skin. A session is typically only a few minutes.

What are the Benefits?

Faster Recovery- One huge benefit is that in many studies, athletes have noted a faster recovery time after undergoing cryotherapy. As someone who trains rigorously, no doubt you have at one time or another come down with a case of the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Intense training results in micro tears and trauma to your muscle fibers causing this soreness. Having this muscle soreness can inhibit your training by either not allowing you to complete a session at all or by not allowing you to perform to the best of your ability. Cryotherapy, however, has been shown to decrease downtime by easing this soreness.

Pain Reduction - As an athlete, you are constantly pushing your body’s limits. Whether training in the gym or participating in your chosen sport, there are unfortunately times when injury may occur. Studies have shown cryotherapy to reduce inflammation and increase beta-endorphins and thus reduce pain in injuries.

Joint Mobility- Improving the range of motion in your joints is surely important to you as an athlete. Several studies have found that with regular cryotherapy sessions, individuals with chronic pain and limited joint mobility saw a stark improvement in both areas.

Improved Mood- Quality of life is an important factor whether you are an athlete or not. Because cryotherapy is shown to increase endorphins, it is no surprise that this kind of therapy can increase your overall mood as well. If you are feeling blue or are lacking motivation, this can be a great holistic option for you.

There are many more proven benefits to cryotherapy, but these are just a few that may appeal to athletes in particular. If you are interested in adding cryotherapy to your health and recovery program, stop by the Junkyard Training Center today! We have a whole arsenal of recovery equipment and therapy available, including cryotherapy.

Posted By Junkyard Training on 1-12-2020