Impact of Systemic Cryotherapy on the Rheological, Morphological, and Biochemical Blood Indicators

A group of 18 healthy men aged 19-26 participated in the study. The group included a group of ten students with high physical activity and a group of eight students with moderate physical activity.

Whole-body cryotherapy was performed in a cryochamber located in the Malopolska Cryotherapy Centre in Krakow (Poland) in the spring of 2013 and in the winter and spring of 2014.

The temperature inside the vestibule during the procedure was about -60 ºC and in the actual chamber about -120 ºC. The concentration of oxygen in the air of the cryochamber was kept constant at 21-22% and continuously controlled by two independent oxygen probes.

The participants of the study were subjected to 24 whole-body cryotherapy treatments (one treatment three times a week for two months). Before the procedure, they were informed about how to move and breathe in the cryochamber. Each entrance to the cryochamber was preceded by a 30-second adaptation period in the vestibule at a temperature of -60 ºC. Then the subjects entered the cryochamber for three minutes. During the treatment, the men wore short trousers, woollen socks and gloves, hats or headbands to protect against freezing and clogs. Moreover, the mouths and noses of the participants were covered with surgical masks, secured with a strip of gauze. During the procedure, the subjects were in permanent eye contact with the doctor and the staff.