Cryotherapy and Inflammation

We’ve touched on cryotherapy before—especially its debated role in muscle recovery. While recent studies have found limited evidence supporting cryotherapy for enhancing muscle recovery, its effects on inflammation tell a slightly different story.

So, Can Cryotherapy Help Reduce Inflammation?

According to a recent meta-analysis published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, water-based cryotherapy (think cold water immersion) may help reduce inflammation and swelling when applied post-exercise. The benefit comes from its vasoconstrictive effects—tightening blood vessels, slowing blood flow, and lowering tissue metabolism.

While it may reduce pain and inflammation, cryotherapy could impair neuromuscular recovery, possibly affecting performance in your next training session.

In short: you may feel better, but you might not perform better immediately afterward.

Whole-Body Cryotherapy and Chronic Conditions

While cryotherapy is most often discussed in the context of athletes, a 2016 study looked at its effects on individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study’s findings indicated that whole-body cryotherapy helped reduce fatigue and improve overall function in patients with MS. Although it’s a stretch to generalize these effects to the broader population, the study highlights potential applications for cryotherapy beyond sports recovery.

Cryotherapy and Inflammation Markers in the Blood

Another recent pilot study, published in the Interactive Journal of Medical Research, evaluated the impact of cryotherapy on systemic inflammation in healthy adults. While markers like glucose, cholesterol, and A1C didn’t change, C-reactive protein (CRP)—a major biomarker for inflammation—was significantly reduced following whole-body cryotherapy sessions. Since CRP is a general marker of inflammation, this finding supports the idea that cryotherapy may offer broader anti-inflammatory benefits.

Final Thoughts
Current research points to cryotherapy being effective at reducing inflammation—which makes sense, and in many ways, it’s something we’ve intuitively known for a while. What’s new is that science is now digging deeper into the extent of those effects and how they actually work. But beyond the science, there’s something to be said for how cryotherapy makes you feel. The immediate sense of relief or clarity that some people experience might hold value, even if it’s not understood yet. There’s definitely room for future exploration in that mind-body connection!

Chen, R., Ma, X., Ma, X., & Cui, C. (2024). The effects of hydrotherapy and cryotherapy on recovery from acute post-exercise induced muscle damage-a network meta-analysis. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 25(1), 749–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-024-07315-2

Chun, E., Joseph, R., & Pojednic, R. (2024). Whole-Body Cryotherapy Reduces Systemic Inflammation in Healthy Adults: Pilot Cohort Study. Interactive Journal of Medical Research, 13, e60942-. https://doi.org/10.2196/60942

Miller, E., Kostka, J., Włodarczyk, T., & Dugué, B. (2016). Whole-body cryostimulation (cryotherapy) provides benefits for fatigue and functional status in multiple sclerosis patients. A case-control study. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 134(6), 420–426. https://doi.org/10.1111/ane.12557