What Is Cryotherapy—and Can It Really Boost Your Recovery and Performance?
You’ve probably seen it on social media: athletes stepping into a fog-filled chamber in socks and gloves (and not much else) while icy vapor swirls around them. Cryotherapy may look a little extreme at first, but it’s actually an incredibly safe and effective recovery tool that’s quickly moved from professional sports teams into mainstream fitness and wellness. By exposing your body to very cold temperatures for a short burst of time, you can spark a cascade of responses that may help reduce soreness, speed recovery, and even give you a boost in performance.
It might sound like just another wellness trend, but cryotherapy is rooted in something we’ve known for centuries: cold helps the body heal. From the ice pack on a sprained ankle to the cold plunge after a tough workout, athletes and trainers have used cold for decades, and human beings have been using cold therapy for centuries to support wellness and recovery. Whole body cryotherapy just takes that principle to another level—colder, shorter, and more targeted.
In this blog, we’ll explore what cryotherapy is, how it works, and why it’s becoming a go-to tool for athletes who want faster recovery and a competitive edge in performance.
What is cryotherapy and how does it work?
Cryotherapy is a method of exposing the body to very cold temperatures for a short period of time. This can take many forms, from an ice bath or cold shower to more streamlined, high-tech options like a whole body cryotherapy in a cryo-chamber (like the one in Renew at Western), where extremely cold air surrounds the body. These chambers are cooled to temperatures between roughly −200°F and −300°F (−130°C to −184°C) using liquid nitrogen.
In a typical whole-body cryotherapy session, the participant wears minimal clothing—usually a bathing suit or underwear, socks, and gloves. Sessions are short, generally no more than three minutes, and a trained staff member is always present to ensure safety. Anyone in the chamber can exit at any time, and precautions like drying sweat beforehand help prevent skin irritation.
Cryotherapy isn’t just about enduring the cold. When the body is exposed to these extreme temperatures, it reacts almost as if it were in an emergency situation. Blood flow shifts toward the core to protect vital organs, the nervous system activates, and hormone and neurotransmitter levels adjust. Once the session ends and the body warms up, blood rushes back to the limbs, carrying oxygen, nutrients, and other resources that the body prepared to handle the cold. This cycle of constriction and rapid reflow plays a key role in cryotherapy’s potential benefits for reducing soreness, speeding recovery, and supporting overall performance.
How does cryotherapy benefit recovery and athletic performance?
Athletes are increasingly turning to cryotherapy because of its potential to speed recovery, reduce fatigue, and even support performance. While research is ongoing, several key areas show promising benefits.
Hormone Regulation
Intense training can put a lot of stress on the body, affecting hormone levels that influence recovery and performance. Cryotherapy may help balance these hormones by lowering stress-related hormones like cortisol while boosting anabolic hormones like testosterone.
Here are some key takeaways from studies on the effects of whole-body cryotherapy conducted with athletes:
Rugby players who underwent seven days of twice-daily whole-body cryotherapy saw decreases in cortisol along with higher testosterone. This improved the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio, which is linked to better performance.
Rowers typically saw training-related cortisol spikes, but whole-body cryotherapy delayed and reduced this increase.
Soccer players had a single WBC session after sprinting that raised testosterone for up to 24 hours without affecting cortisol or muscle damage markers.
Reducing Oxidative Stress
Exercise produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage cells and tissues. Inflammation can amplify this stress. Whole-body cryotherapy may help by boosting antioxidant defenses and reducing oxidative damage.
Here are some key takeaways from studies on the effects of whole-body cryotherapy conducted with athletes:
Kayakers training with whole-body cryotherapy for 19 days showed reduced markers of oxidative stress and improved antioxidant activity.
Volleyball players who did a single WBC session before exercise had lower activity of antioxidant enzymes during exercise, likely because fewer oxidants were produced.
Rowers experienced lower oxidative stress markers and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity after training with whole-body cryotherapy.
Healthy adults had increased antioxidant levels after 10 WBC sessions compared to those who didn’t do cryotherapy.
Overall, repeated WBC sessions appear to help the body manage oxidative stress, though effects depend on session frequency.
Nervous System Effects
Exposure to extreme cold activates the sympathetic nervous system and can alter neurotransmitter levels, such as dopamine. This may increase alertness, heart rate, and readiness, effectively priming the body for athletic performance.
Psychological Well-being and Recovery
Cryotherapy has been linked to improved mood and reduced perception of fatigue or soreness.
Studies report faster reductions in muscle soreness compared to other recovery methods.
Synchronized swimmers preparing for the Olympics experienced better sleep and training tolerance with daily whole-body cryotherapy sessions.
Reduced Post-Training Discomfort
Whole-body cryotherapy may help reduce the muscle soreness that follows hard workouts.
Endurance runners recovered faster in the first 48 hours after simulated trail runs when using WBC compared to passive rest.
Rugby players, kayakers, tennis players, rowers, and active men showed lower levels of CK, a marker of muscle damage, and reported less pain after repeated whole body cryotherapy sessions.
In rugby players during a training camp, CK decreased slightly despite a heavy workload.
Improved Performance
Cold exposure after exercise may enhance performance measures such as muscle power, perceived recovery, and soreness reduction. In some studies:
Runners and tennis players had lower levels of certain inflammatory markers after whole-body cryotherapy.
Volleyball players who did whole-body cryotherapy before exercise avoided large spikes in inflammation.
Pain and Injury Management
Cryotherapy isn’t just for recovery; it can also aid injury treatment. It’s commonly used for back pain, tendonitis, arthritis, sprains, and post-surgical recovery.
Minor sports injuries can be treated immediately with cryotherapy.
After surgery, treatment typically begins once wounds have healed.
Localized cryotherapy can target specific areas if needed.
By reducing pain, inflammation, and stress, cryotherapy can be an important tool in rehabilitation and a complement to other recovery strategies.
When should you do cryotherapy and for how long?
Timing and duration matter when it comes to getting the most out of cryotherapy. Some studies suggest that doing whole-body cryotherapy about three hours before a competition may give athletes a performance edge. But recovery-focused sessions can be scheduled right after tough training or games to help reduce soreness and speed up the body’s repair processes.
How Long Should Each Session Be?
The duration of a session changes how the body responds:
1–2 minutes: Your skin cools, blood vessels constrict, and you feel the cold, but the physiological changes are mild. Core temperature and muscle oxygenation shift slightly, but it’s not enough for the full recovery “shock” response.
3 minutes: This is where the benefits really kick in. Blood flow in major leg muscles drops more significantly during the session, then rebounds within about 15 minutes. This cycle of constriction and dilation boosts circulation, oxygen delivery, and recovery.
In short, shorter sessions give partial effects, but three minutes triggers the full physiological response that supports circulation and recovery.
How Often Should You Do Cryotherapy?
Frequency also plays a key role. A few sessions may create short-term changes, but the effects usually fade quickly. Research suggests that around three times per week is a good starting point for athletes.
Over the longer term, about 20 sessions seem to create lasting benefits in the body’s inflammatory and oxidative balance, helping muscles recover more efficiently and supporting overall performance. This number of sessions may be considered the “sweet spot” for building sustainable recovery gains.
Ready to try cryotherapy at Western?
Cryotherapy has moved from the locker rooms of professional sports teams into mainstream fitness and wellness for good reason. By exposing your body to extreme cold, you can trigger a variety of beneficial responses that support recovery, reduce soreness, manage inflammation, and even help optimize performance. From hormone regulation and oxidative stress management to improved circulation and faster psychological recovery, the research shows there are real benefits, especially when sessions are done for the right duration and frequency.
At Renew at Western, we offer both whole-body and localized cryotherapy, along with a range of other recovery and wellness services designed to help athletes and active individuals feel their best. Whether you’re looking to bounce back after an intense training session, support performance on competition day, or simply invest in your long-term health, cryotherapy can be an effective part of your routine.
Ready to see how cryotherapy can help you recover and perform at your peak? Schedule your free consultation at Renew today and start experiencing the benefits for yourself.
