The influence of cryostimulation on reducing inflammation and improving motor skills in football players

Introduction: Cryostimulation is one of the methods used for enchancing post-exercise recovery, involving short-term (3 min) exposure of the body to extremely low temperatures, oscillating between -100°C and -190°C. The purpose of this intervention is to reduce inflammation and alleviate physical as well as mental fatigue, which helps prepare the body for further exercise in the course of the training process. Methods: The study was conducted to determine the effect of five days of Partial-Body Criostimulation on inflammation and motor skills in soccer players. A group of 24 football players was randomly divided into a test group subject to cryostimulation (-140°C ± 20°C, 3 min, 5 days) and a control group. Before the cryostimulation session, both groups underwent visual-motor ability tests, which were repeated on the last day of the study. Blood samples were collected at four time points (P0 - 1 ^st day, P1 - 3 ^rd day, P2 - 5 ^th day, P3 - 2 days after the test). Levels of creatine kinase, TNFα, IL-6, IL-10, testosterone and cortisol were determined in the samples. Results: Analysis of the results revealed a significant improvement in motor function (reaction time, RT) in the experimental group by 2.43 seconds (p=0.001) compared to the control group. There was no significant difference between control and experimental groups regarding parameters determined in blood samples. Conclusions: The applied five-day cryostimulation regimen did not significantly affect the profile of inflammatory markers in soccer players. However, a reduction in visuo-motor reaction time (RT) was registered in cryostimulation-treated soccer players, suggesting the potential benefits of this method in improving motor skills. Trial registry ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06549933, retrospectively registered on 10.08.2024 .