Multiple Cryotherapy Attenuates Oxi-Inflammatory Response Following Skeletal Muscle Injury

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Skeletal Muscle Physiology
• Inflammation and Regeneration

Background:

• The oxi-inflammatory response is crucial for muscle repair and regeneration.
• Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a popular recovery strategy in sports medicine, often used without strong scientific backing.
• Understanding WBC's impact on muscle regeneration mediators is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of WBC on circulating mediators involved in skeletal muscle regeneration.
• To assess if WBC influences the inflammatory and growth factor pathways post-exercise.

Main Methods:

• Twenty elite athletes were randomized into a WBC group and a control group.
• The WBC group underwent 3-minute exposures to -120°C twice daily for 7 days.
• Blood samples were analyzed for reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, inflammatory markers, and growth factors before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• WBC did not alter indirect markers of muscle damage.
• WBC significantly reduced reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (H₂O₂ and NO).
• WBC decreased serum concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), C-reactive protein (CRP), and key growth factors (HGF, IGF-1, PDGFBB, VEGF, BDNF).

Conclusions:

• Whole-body cryotherapy attenuates the injury-repair-regeneration cascade in skeletal muscle.
• The reduction in inflammatory and growth factor mediators by WBC may potentially delay muscle regeneration.