Tomschi Fabian, Schmidt Alexander, Cegla Thomas, Hilberg Thomas
Department of Sports Medicine, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany.
Department of Pain Medicine, Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany.
Eur J Pain. 2025 May;29(5):e70017. doi: 10.1002/ejp.70017.
Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a treatment that involves exposing the entire body to extremely cold temperatures and is used in therapeutic and sports scientific settings. Here, cryotherapy is often used to alleviate pain, but its underlying pain physiological effects are under-researched. This study aims to explore whether a 3-min cryochamber application results in cryo-induced hypoalgesia.
24 healthy male participants successfully conducted this randomised controlled crossover study consisting of a 3-min WBC (cryochamber at -87°C) and a 3-min control (ambient temperature) session. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT [Newton/cm]) were measured at the rectus femoris, knee joint, deltoid muscle and sternum pre and post0, post5, post15 and post30.
Results revealed a significant 'condition' × 'time' interaction (p < 0.001, η = 0.280) for PPT (pooled for one average value) with hypoalgesia observed after WBC (p < 0.001; pre: 77.0 ± 17.2, post0: 89.6 ± 18.6, post5: 83.6 ± 19.4, post15: 83.1 ± 18.2, post30: 80.8 ± 17.7) and no change following the control (p = 0.873; pre: 75.1 ± 18.8, post0: 75.3 ± 19.4, post5: 74.6 ± 19.2, post15: 75.7 ± 19.3, post30: 75.3 ± 19.1). The same pattern was observed for individual landmarks. Between-group differences were consistently observed, with higher values following the WBC. No significant 'time' × 'intervention' × 'landmark' interaction effect (p = 0.439) was found.
This study demonstrates that a three-minute cryochamber exposure induces robust hypoalgesia in healthy participants, as indicated by increased PPT, lasting up to 30 min but gradually declining over time.
Whole-body cryotherapy significantly induces short-term hypoalgesia, with increased mechanical pain thresholds lasting up to 30 minutes. Compared to ambient temperature, cryotherapy provided greater pain relief across multiple body landmarks, with 82.6% of participants experiencing hypoalgesia. These findings highlight the potential of cryotherapy for pain management and support further research on its long-term efficacy and clinical applications.
全身冷冻疗法（WBC）是一种将整个身体暴露于极低温度的治疗方法，用于治疗和运动科学领域。在此，冷冻疗法常用于缓解疼痛，但其潜在的疼痛生理效应研究不足。本研究旨在探讨3分钟的冷冻舱治疗是否会导致冷冻诱导的痛觉减退。
24名健康男性参与者成功进行了这项随机对照交叉研究，包括3分钟的全身冷冻疗法（-87°C的冷冻舱）和3分钟的对照（环境温度）阶段。在股直肌、膝关节、三角肌和胸骨处，于0、5、15和30分钟前及后测量压力痛阈（PPT[牛顿/平方厘米]）。
结果显示，对于PPT（合并为一个平均值），存在显著的“条件”ד时间”交互作用（p<0.001，η=0.280），全身冷冻疗法后观察到痛觉减退（p<0.001；0分钟前：77.0±17.2，0分钟后：89.6±18.6，5分钟后：83.6±19.4，15分钟后：83.1±18.2，30分钟后：80.8±17.7），而对照后无变化（p=0.873；0分钟前：75.1±18.8，0分钟后：75.3±19.4，5分钟后：74.6±19.2，15分钟后：75.7±19.3，30分钟后：75.3±19.1）。各个测量部位观察到相同模式。组间差异始终存在，全身冷冻疗法后数值更高。未发现显著的“时间”ד干预”ד测量部位”交互作用效应（p=0.439）。
本研究表明，3分钟的冷冻舱暴露可在健康参与者中诱导强烈的痛觉减退，表现为压力痛阈升高，持续长达30分钟，但随时间逐渐下降。
全身冷冻疗法可显著诱导短期痛觉减退，机械性疼痛阈值升高可持续30分钟。与环境温度相比，冷冻疗法在多个身体测量部位提供了更大程度的疼痛缓解，82.6%的参与者出现痛觉减退。这些发现凸显了冷冻疗法在疼痛管理方面的潜力，并支持对其长期疗效和临床应用的进一步研究。
