Isaac Dunsey, a Powell High School junior was so persuaded by a social media influencer, he attempted to fashion an ice bath from a clean garbage can, hoping to experience muscle and blood health benefits he had seen online. 

While it did reduce soreness, he didn’t see many other benefits, he said.

What Dunsey tested out was a form of cryotherapy, a recovery strategy used by both athletes and the general public. Cold exposure methods are trending topics specifically in the medical field and among athletes, but are effective for anyone to use. Medical assistants and athletic trainers in Powell, Wyoming, incorporate these methods into athletic recovery and everyday lives. 

Ashe Sperry, the medical assistant to Powell High School, said at PHS a popular cryotherapy method is ice tubs; generally limited to eight to 10 minutes of use at 50-60 degrees. 

Ashe has found that  cryotherapy is in the athlete's best interest if it’s primarily in their first phase of an injury, as opposed to when an athlete can no longer participate. Ice baths have the most benefits for ongoing athletes planning to exercise in the near future.

The biggest risks of cryotherapy include cardiac arrest, drowning, hypothermia and persistent exposure that can potentially lead to peripheral nerve damage. To ensure safety, Sperry has an athlete step a foot into an ice bath prior to turning the machine on for extra precaution. Constant checkups that an athlete isn’t experiencing tingling or numbness throughout their  body is essential for prevention. 

Ice exposure is not advised before a workout to prevent lack of function from muscles, but icing afterwards is when an athlete will experience the most benefits. 

“Cold exposure in general, meaning, like ice tubs, or cryotherapy, as in cold massage … helps a lot with sore muscles,” Sperry said. “[Cold exposure] helps a lot with the first phase of injury.”

If a patient can get ice on their injury within the first 12 hours, this can inflame and stop the increase of blood in that area of the body, he added.

Cryotherapy on musculoskeletal injuries helps primarily for minimizing swelling. However, recent discoveries have shown that cold exposure prolongs the initial phase of tissue healing, the inflammatory phase. 

Athletic Director at Northwest College, Alan Hill said recent cryotherapy findings have become a trending topic in the medical field. Despite inflammation being an important step towards the healing process, cold exposure can potentially delay a recovery.

“There is a lot of new information being discussed regarding cold exposure and the potential mental benefits it may provide,” Hill said. “Some say that it helps to increase some different hormonal and neurotransmitter changes within the body that reduce stress and improve mood.”

But, Hill said, the majority of scientific literature suggest more risk than gain because of the potential misuse by the general public of methods like the cold plunge.

Hill recommends cold exposure treatments for pain relief, but will ultimately let an athlete dictate how much cryotherapy treatment is embodied into their recovery. 

“Considering this information, cryotherapy is not something I focus on incorporating into recovery or rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries,’ Hill said. “But I do use it as an adjunct to what I do believe is the main component to overcoming injury and that is therapeutic exercise. I tend to leave that up to the athlete during their treatment process…”

Cryotherapy is beneficial not only physically but also psychologically, Sperry said. Athletes have commented after an ice bath feeling their muscles loosen and their mind is more refreshed. 

“Well, there's always going to be some psychological aspects of any therapy you do…,” Sperry said. “An ice bath in the morning can help out with a lot of people that are facing, you know, struggling, getting up for the day, lack of energy … it can kind of spike the adrenaline system in your body to hyperact you in the day.” 

Cryotherapy is beneficial in many ways from healing an athlete’s first phase of an injury to a refreshing ice bath that will wake you up for the day. 

“Overall, I believe that cryotherapy and cold exposure has a significant importance to play in the health and well-being of athletes,” Hill said. “But my main focus is generally elsewhere when it comes to musculoskeletal injury and getting athletes back to competition.”