title: Acute effects of whole-body cryotherapy on sit-and-reach amplitude in women and men.
abstract: Flexibility is an intrinsic property of body tissues, which among other factors determines the range of motion (ROM). A decrease in neural activation of the muscle has been linked with greater ROM. Cryotherapy is an effective technique to reduces neural activation. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate if a single session of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) affects ROM. 60 women and 60 men were divided into two groups (control and experimental). After the initial sit-and-reach test, experimental group performed a 150 s session of WBC, whereas the control group stayed in thermo-neutral environment. Immediately after, both groups performed another sit-and-reach test. A 3-way analysis of variance revealed statistically significant time×group and time × gender interaction. Experimental groups improved sit-and-reach amplitude to a greater extend than the control group. Our results support the hypothesis that ROM is increased immediately after a single session of WBC.
authors.affiliation: Krioplanet Ltd., Treviglio, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Nardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.affiliation: Department of Sport, Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benis
authors.affiliation: S2P, Science to Practice Ltd., Laboratory for Motor Control and Motor Behaviour, Ljubljana, Slovenia; University of Primorska, Andrej Marusic Institute, Department of Health Study, Koper, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Nejc
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sarabon
authors.affiliation: S2P, Science to Practice Ltd., Laboratory for Motor Control and Motor Behaviour, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Electronic address: borut.fonda@s2p.si.
authors.forename: Borut
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fonda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017679:Cryotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cryotherapy; Flexibility; Performance; Stretching