Whole-body cryotherapy -110°C. Measure of skin and central temperature to the sportsman (Cryothe?rapie corps entier a? -110°C. Mesure des tempe?ratures cutane?es et centrale chez le sportif)

摘要

Aims. - Whole body cryotherapy (WBC) at -110°C has been in use since the eighties, essentially in Northern Europe, for the treatment of rheumatism diseases and also in sports medicine and traumatology. The objective of this work is to measure the effects of a WBC session on skin and core body temperatures, based on the medical protocol that we have been using on sportsmen and sportswomen for nearly two years, on a daily basis. Method. - Eleven sportspersons were included in the study, 10 men and 1 woman. Skin temperatures were measured in various places on the body using a laser thermometer, 5 minutes before the session and then immediately afterwards and 5, 10 and finally 20 minutes later. The core body temperature was measured using an ear thermometer. The cryotherapy session lasted 4 minutes. Results. - On exiting the cold chamber, the lowest temperatures were measured on the shin, with an average value of less than 10°C. The skin temperatures rose very quickly, but the measured values remained lower than the reference temperatures after 20 minutes. As far as the core body temperature is concerned, we observed a significant decrease, but the value observed was both deferred and transient: 0.63°C observed after 5 minutes. The difference was no longer significant after 20 minutes. 2006 Elsevier SAS. Tous droits reserves.