The influence of single whole body cryostimulation treatment on the dynamics and the level of maximal anaerobic power

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this work was to determine the dynamics of maximal anaerobic power (MAP) of the lower limbs, following a single whole body cryostimulation treatment (WBC), in relation to the temperature of thigh muscles. Materials and Methods: The subjects included 15 men and 15 women with an average age (±SD) of 21.6±1.2 years. To evaluate the level of ana erobic power, the Wingate test was applied. The subjects were submitted to 6 WBC treatments at -130°C once a day. After each session they performed a single Wingate test in the 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90th min after leaving the cryogenic chamber. The order of the test was randomized. All Wingate tests were preceded by an evaluation of thigh surface temperature with the use of a ther movisual camera. Results: The average thigh surface temperature (T av ) in both men and women dropped significantly after the whole body cryostimulation treatment, and next increased gradually. In women T av remained decreased for 75 min, whereas in men it did not return to the basal level until 90th min. A statistically insignificant decrease in MAP was observed in women after WBC. On the contrary, a non-significant increase in MAP was observed in men. The course of changes in MAP following the treatment was similar in both sexes to the changes in thigh surface temperature, with the exception of the period between 15th and 30th min. The shorter time to obtain MAP was observed in women till 90th min and in men till 45 min after WBC compared to the initial level. Conclusions: A single whole body cryostimulation may have a minor influence on short-term physical performance of supra maximal intensity, but it leads to improvement of velocity during the start as evidenced by shorter time required to obtain MAP.

Individualising the exposure of −110 °C whole body cryotherapy: The effects of sex and body composition

“…This protocol replicates previous reported times and temperatures (Dugué, Smolander et al 2005, Leppäluoto, Westerlund et al 2008, Gong, Ma et al 2011, Klimek, Lubkowska et al 2011, Hammond, Cuttell et al 2014. At the completion of the WBC exposure, participants transferred immediately to the adjacent laboratory (26°C and 33% RH) to capture the post WBC data.…”

“…Larger skin folds have been shown to require longer ice exposure than smaller skin folds to elicit similar reductions in deep tissue temperature (Otte, Merrick et al 2002), and differences in the degree of skin temperature cooling experienced have been reported between high and low body mass index in individuals following WBC (Cholewka, Stanek et al 2012). Consistent with the link between body mass index and cooling, there have been a number of attempts to examine the impact of WBC on skin temperature (Cholewka, Drzazga et al 2006, Klimek, Lubkowska et al 2011, Cholewka, Stanek et al 2012, Hammond, Cuttell et al 2014) along with core temperature (Westerlund, Oksa et al 2003, Costello, Culligan et al 2012, heart rate and blood pressure (Westerlund, Smolander et al 2004, but with little attention paid to sexual dimorphism, morphological and protocol differences.…”

Application of thermovision for estimation of the optimal and safe parameters of the whole body cryotherapy

“…It may be influenced by pathological changes [4,17], as well as by external stimuli [24,25]. Due to these poikilothermic and behavioral features, the human body may be exposed safely to extremely low temperatures [2,4,[26][27][28][29].…”

“…Frequently, the 3-min exposure in -110°C is recommended [7][8][9][10][11][12]; however, the treatment in -175°C is used, as well [13,14]. The applications of other temperatures are also reported, e.g., -100, -120, and -130°C [2,4,6]. Exposure times also vary from 1 [15] to 3 min [8,16,17].…”

“…Systemic cryotherapy results in numerous clinical, hormonal, and biochemical effects [1][2][3]. The main goal of the cryotherapy is to cause the quick decrease of the body temperature to stimulate the cardiovascular system, followed by several positive reactions, among other anti-inflammatory and analgesic.…”