The Contemporary Use of Cooling Modalities in the Recovery From Sport Injury

The therapeutic application of any modality that removes heat from the body and results in a decrease in tissue temperature may come under the umbrella term of ‘cryotherapy’. Commonly used in sport for injury, rehabilitation, and recovery for readiness to perform, the typical rationale for its use is a reduction in perception of pain, or muscle soreness among other physiological responses. To facilitate the recovery process from sports injury, cryotherapeutic modalities are often applied with the intention to positively control and affect metabolic and inflammatory processes, with the aim of aiding in the healing process, not preventing it altogether. That said, debates concerning the use of cryotherapy within early stages of an injury are prevalent in recent literature. Although, this is predominantly due to a lack of understanding of the multifaceted responses that underpin its beneficial use within a sporting context. Consequently, optimal cooling protocols for the recovery of sport injury are limited, despite supporting evidence for its use. Yet it is known that modalities and protocols differ in the responses they can achieve.