Whole Body Cryotherapy vs Ice Bath

Cryosauna for Fitness

Whole Body Cryotherapy vs Ice Bath

While in an ice bath, the body is struggling with unrelenting, penetrating, physical cold. When the body can no longer heat enough blood, the muscles and tissues start to congeal and freeze, beginning at the skin’s surface and continuing to the core. The results are stiff muscles and tendons, and difficulty getting warm again. The danger of ice baths is that if the body is allowed to cool too much, hyperthermia can set it.

First, during the 15-20 minutes of ice bathing, tissue freezes quite deep and frozen muscles temporarily lose capacity. Muscle tissue then needs time to return to normal which requires the body to rest after the Ice Bath. Therefore the ice bath must be scheduled at the end of a rigorous workout so the athlete can recuperate overnight.

WBC process triggers the enrichment (with hormones, enzymes, oxygen) of blood and circulation to the internal organs under higher blood pressure. When the cryotherapy session is completed, the body undergoes rapid vasodilation as the higher internal blood pressure drives the enriched blood back to the peripherals. The body has also released endorphins into the blood, providing an euphoric feeling and mood improvement. Since cryotherapy does not freeze tissue and muscles, the body can immediately return to exercise mode.