AUTHOR=Bouzigon Romain , Dupuy Olivier , Tiemessen Ivo , De Nardi Massimo , Bernard Jean-Pierre , Mihailovic Thibaud , Theurot Dimitri , Miller Elzbieta Dorota , Lombardi Giovanni , Dugué Benoit Michel TITLE=Cryostimulation for Post-exercise Recovery in Athletes: A Consensus and Position Paper JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living VOLUME=3 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2021.688828 DOI=10.3389/fspor.2021.688828 ISSN=2624-9367 ABSTRACT=

Recovery after exercise is a crucial key in preventing muscle injuries and in speeding up the processes to return to homeostasis level. There are several ways of developing a recovery strategy with the use of different kinds of traditional and up-to-date techniques. The use of cold has traditionally been used after physical exercise for recovery purposes. In recent years, the use of whole-body cryotherapy/cryostimulation (WBC; an extreme cold stimulation lasting 1–4 min and given in a cold room at a temperature comprised from −60 to −195°C) has been tremendously increased for such purposes. However, there are controversies about the benefits that the use of this technique may provide. Therefore, the main objectives of this paper are to describe what is whole body cryotherapy/cryostimulation, review and debate the benefits that its use may provide, present practical considerations and applications, and emphasize the need of customization depending on the context, the purpose, and the subject's characteristics. This review is written by international experts from the working group on WBC from the International Institute of Refrigeration.