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Method
T
sk
T
m
T
c
Oxygen use
Blood flow (%Δ from baseline)
HR
Oedema
Applications/conclusions
References
Superficial
Deep
0 h
Nadir
Skin
IM
Ice pack
0.3–1.8 kg crushed ice
5°C–7.5°C
26.58°Ca –27.9°C
28.21°Ca –31.82°C
↓46% fair signal intensity
Limited performance or function data may reduce oedema post-eccentric exercise
[43 , 45 , 46 , 54 , 55 , 66 ]
Δ −25.0°C–30°C
Δ −7.0°C–9.7°C
Δ −4.46°C–8.38°C
(20–30 min)
(5–10 min post-cool)
(10–15 min post-cool)
Cold pack application (no phase change)
0°C–10°C for 20–30 min
7.9°C–22.5°C
15°C–24.8°C
↓20%–40%
↓0.822% ∆ in MRI T2 values
No performance data
[44 , 48 , 64 ]
Δ −12°C–23°C
Δ −9.7°C–18°C
(20–30 min)
(20 min)
CWI partial immersion
0°C–12°C for 3–15 min
11°C–15.1°C
20°Ca –30.4°C
33.3°Ca –34.0°C
37.12°C
37.11°Ca
↓24% (20 min post-cool)
↓30%–40% (30 min post-cool)
↑5–10 bpm (1st minute of cooling)
↓2.5% ∆ in MRI T2 value (48 h)
Post-eccentric—equivocal
[4 , 25 , 33 , 38 ]
Δ −14.5°C–20°C
Δ −13.6°C–15.0°C
Δ −2.0°C–4.3°C
Δ −0.11°C
Δ −0.23°C
Post-high-intensity interval—somewhat beneficial
(2–10 min)
(5–30 min post-cool)
(5–60 min post-cool)
(0 h)
(30 min post-cool)
Lacking performance studies that measure temperature or mechanisms
CWI partial immersion
12°C–21°C for 3–60 min
17°C–26°C
32.2°Ca
34.3°Ca –34.5°C
36.3°C–37.6°C
36.2°Ca –37.3°C
Post-eccentric—equivocal
[6 , 9 , 38 , 52 , 53 , 72 ]
Δ −7°C–17.2°C
Δ not recorded
Δ −1.6°C–1.8°C
Δ −0.01–6°C
Δ −0.1–0.4°C
Post-high-intensity interval—somewhat beneficial
(3–60 min)
(30 min post-cool)
(30–60 min post-cool)
(0 h)
(30 min post-cool)
↓2.5 tissue oxygenation index (12 min)
↓20 (15 min)
Lacking performance studies that measure temperature or mechanisms
CWI head-out immersion
14–15°C for 14–20 min
32.3°Ca
34.7°C–37.7°C
36.0°Ca –36.8°C
↓76% from post-exercise
↓12 pm (post-cool vs. active recovery)
↓0.70025 mid-thigh girth
Maintains or improves performance in bouts of exhaustive exercise (i.e. cycling time trial or sprint) that are within hours, when used as a between bout recovery
[9 –11 , 38 , 67 ]
Δ −5.9°C
Δ −0.9°C–1.3°C
Δ −1.8°C–2.0°C
Not studied following eccentric or high-intensity interval exercise
(35 min post-cool)
(0 h)
(15–30 min post-cool)
Whole body cryotherapy
−110°C for 3–4 min
17.0
34.5°Ca
37.8°C–37.9°C
37.2°Ca –37.5°C
No performance differences reported
[55 , 76 ]
Δ −13.2°C
Δ −1.6°C
Δ −0.3°C–0.07°C
Δ −0.25°C–0.3°C
(0–1 min)
(60 min post-cool)
(0 h)
(3–8 min post-cool)
Reductions in inflammatory markers have been shown
Methodologies within each form of cryotherapy are variables. Ranges for duration of application, temperature and/or mass of cooling medium are given where applicable. ‘T sk ’ denotes skin temperature, ‘T
m
’ denotes muscle temperature, ‘T c ’ denotes core temperature and ‘IM’ denotes intramuscular. For all temperature changes, the range is given, followed by change from baseline (denoted by delta ‘Δ’), and time at which these measurements were recorded (shown in brackets). a Values were recorded in the post-cooling period.
