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CryotherapyEvidence & Dosage

Whole-body Cryo, pain reduction and inflammation modulation.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
667
With abstract
49
Meta / Systematic / RCT
125
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1980–2026

Cryotherapy in the context of Recovery

This topic is part of our "Recovery" world. There you'll find methodology, evidence and the highest-impact levers — plus the order in which they sensibly build on each other.

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Top studies on Cryotherapy

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Treatment of comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with induced hypothermia.

    N Engl J Med2002n=77RCT200 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrest outside the hospital is common and has a poor outcome. Studies in laboratory animals suggest that hypothermia induced shortly after the restoration of spontaneous circulation may improve neurologic outcome, but…

  2. Targeted Temperature Management for Cardiac Arrest with Nonshockable Rhythm.

    N Engl J Med2019n=581RCT200 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Moderate therapeutic hypothermia is currently recommended to improve neurologic outcomes in adults with persistent coma after resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, the effectiveness of moderate therapeutic…

  3. Randomized controlled trial of compressive cryotherapy versus standard cryotherapy after total knee arthroplasty: pain, swelling, range of motion and functional recovery.

    BMC Musculoskelet Disord2024n=40RCT109 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: After total knee arthroplasty (TKA), patients have limited knee range of motion (ROM), trophic changes and pain. Cryotherapy and compression are recommended in the literature, but no study has shown that cryotherapy and…

  4. Selective head cooling with mild systemic hypothermia after neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy: a multicenter randomized controlled trial in China.

    J Pediatr2010n=194RCT88 influential citations

    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of selective head cooling with mild systemic hypothermia in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborn infants. STUDY DESIGN: Infants with HIE were randomly assigned to the selective…

  5. Established focal therapy-HIFU, IRE, or cryotherapy-where are we now?-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis2025n=49Meta-Analysis76 influential citations

    <h4>Introduction</h4>Focal Therapy (FT) is a treatment option for the treatment of limited volume clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). We aim to systematically review outcomes of established FT modalities to assess the…

  6. Effectiveness of Recovery Strategies After Training and Competition in Endurance Athletes: An Umbrella Review.

    Sports Med Open2024n=22systematic73 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Recovery strategies are used to enhance performance and reduce injury risk in athletes. In previous systematic reviews, individual recovery strategies were investigated to clarify their effectiveness for mixed groups of…

  7. Cryotherapy following total knee replacement.

    Cochrane Database Syst Rev2023n=183systematic69 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Total knee replacement (TKR) is a common intervention for people with end-stage symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, resulting in significant improvements in pain, function and quality of life within three to six months. It is,…

  8. The effects of cold exposure (cold water immersion, whole- and partial- body cryostimulation) on cardiovascular and cardiac autonomic control responses in healthy individuals: A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

    J Therm Biol2024n=27meta62 influential citations

    BACKGROUND: Cryostimulation and cold-water immersion (CWI) have recently gained widespread attention due to their association with changes in cardiovascular and cardiac autonomic control responses. Therefore, the aim of the present…

  9. Temperature control after adult cardiac arrest: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Resuscitation2023meta52 influential citations

    AIM: To perform an updated systematic review and meta-analysis on temperature control in adult patients with cardiac arrest. METHODS: The review is an update of a previous systematic review published in 2021. An updated search including…

    Finding: Subgroup analysis by in-hospital versus out-of-hospital cardiac arrest found similar results for temperature control targeting 32-34 °C.

  10. The untapped potential of cold water therapy as part of a lifestyle intervention for promoting healthy aging.

    Geroscience2025Review44 influential citations

    Healthy aging is a crucial goal in aging societies of the western world, with various lifestyle strategies being employed to achieve it. Among these strategies, hydrotherapy stands out for its potential to promote cardiovascular and mental…

Frequently asked

What dosage was studied?
• Moderate hypothermia (Core body temperature reduced to 33 degrees C within 2 hours after return of spontaneous circulation; maintained for 12 hours) • Moderate therapeutic hypothermia (33°C)
Which population does the evidence apply to?
Most studies investigated: patient; unknown.
Are there safety considerations for Cryotherapy?
• No increase in adverse events reported. • Hypothermia lowered cardiac index. • Hypothermia increased systemic vascular resistance. • Hypothermia caused hyperglycemia.

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Structured deep relaxation — a term coined by Andrew Huberman.

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