Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy or the removal of heat from a body part. Its goal is to decrease cellular metabolism, increase cellular survival, decrease inflammation, decrease pain and spasm, promote vasoconstriction, and when using extreme temperatures, to destroy cells by crystallizing the cytosol.

In sports, it is used for inflammation decrease and muscle spasm reduce that were created due to hard competitions or trainings. The biggest use from ice therapy is anaesthetic activity. Physiological responses are decrease of local blood circulation due to vasoconstriction, inflammation and pain decrease, and metabolic activity dropping. Cryotherapy is used on particular body area covered by thin texture right after the last training, and process lasts 20 minutes. 

“Technology of sports training and recovery”, Julijan Malacko&Dragan Doder