Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28512432›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in physiology2017

Whole-Body Cryotherapy in Athletes: From Therapy to Stimulation. An Updated Review of the Literature.

Giovanni Lombardi, Ewa Ziemann, Giuseppe Banfi

2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in physiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 69 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
11.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04375969 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2018, after this paper: background citation

Short to Long Effects of Whole Body Cryostimulation on Insulin Sensitivity Among Overweight: Translational Controlled Trial Investigating Coldness and Training Effects on Endocrine Regulation on Energy Metabolism

TypeinterventionalSponsorGdansk University of Physical Education and SportRan2018 to 2021Enrolled80ConditionsCryotherapy, Training, Overweight, InsulinArmswhole body cryostimulation treatment, Connection WBC treatment and HIIT training, Control Group, HIIT training group
NCT05443100 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2019, after this paper: background citation

A Non-randomized Pilot Study of the Impact on Rehabilitation Outcomes of a Course of Whole-body Cryostimulation (WBC) Treatment on Patients With Metabolic or Neurological Diseases or Fibromyalgia

TypeinterventionalSponsorIstituto Auxologico ItalianoRan2019 to 2026Enrolled300ConditionsObesity, Fibromyalgia, Neurological ConditionsArmsWhole-body cryostimulation (WBC), Rehabilitation program
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

69 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 157 citations in OpenAlex.

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  16. Computational and structural biotechnology journal · 2025
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9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Giovanni LombardiLaboratory of Experimental Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Ortopedico GaleazziMilan, Italy.
Ewa ZiemannDepartment of Physiology and Pharmacology, Gdansk University of Physical Education and SportGdansk, Poland.
Giuseppe BanfiLaboratory of Experimental Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Ortopedico GaleazziMilan, Italy.
Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport · PLIstituto Ortopedico Galeazzi · ITVita-Salute San Raffaele University · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Nowadays, whole-body cryotherapy is a medical physical treatment widely used in sports medicine. Recovery from injuries (e.g., trauma, overuse) and after-season recovery are the main purposes for application. However, the most recent studies confirmed the anti-inflammatory, anti-analgesic, and anti-oxidant effects of this therapy by highlighting the underlying physiological responses. In addition to its therapeutic effects, whole-body cryotherapy has been demonstrated to be a preventive strategy against the deleterious effects of exercise-induced inflammation and soreness. Novel findings have stressed the importance of fat mass on cooling effectiveness and of the starting fitness level on the final result. Exposure to the cryotherapy somehow mimics exercise, since it affects myokines expression in an exercise-like fashion, thus opening another possible window on the therapeutic strategies for metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. From a biochemical point of view, whole-body cryotherapy not always induces appreciable modifications, but the final clinical output (in terms of pain, soreness, stress, and post-exercise recovery) is very often improved compared to either the starting condition or the untreated matched group. Also, the number and the frequency of sessions that should be applied in order to obtain the best therapeutic results have been deeply investigated in the last years. In this article, we reviewed the most recent literature, from 2010 until present, in order to give the most updated insight into this therapeutic strategy, whose rapidly increasing use is not always based on scientific assumptions and safety standards.

Indexed as

cryochamberinflammationirisinmetabolic effectsrecoverywhole-body cryotherapy

Identifiers

PMID28512432
PMCPMC5411446
OpenAlexW2611551815

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.