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Originally Posted On: Cryotherapy and the Super Bowl | Cryotherapy Blog (cryoinnovations.com)

On February 7th, 2021 the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will compete for the NFL’s Lombardi trophy in Super Bowl LV. Will the winning team be determined by their training recovery methods? Many successful teams have used cryotherapy before the Super Bowl to improve their chances of winning. How? Cryotherapy helps to reduce inflammation and injuries, and the team with more injured players often loses the Super Bowl.

Cryotherapy and Injuries in Sports

The rate of individual injuries in football increases as the season progresses. The longer a player is active on the team the greater the chances of suffering an injury. Teams are now investing in recovery methods to help protect their players, and cryotherapy is at the top of the list.¹ The Super Bowl teams want to present their best players, and to do so requires protecting their players. Cryotherapy helps players to avoid injury by reducing any inflammation due to strenuous activity.

As far as injuries are concerned the Chiefs are in trouble. With Le’Von Bell (RB) and Sammy Watkins (WR) out due to injury the fate of the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV is in jeopardy. Both men were on “questionable” status as of January 27th, 2021. Furthermore, Eric Fisher suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The Pro Bowler and 1st round draft pick will not participate in the Super Bowl. Finally, offensive Tackle Mitchell Schwartz has started in every game he has played with the Chiefs, and has not missed a single snap in his NFL career. However, due to a back injury his ability to play is doubtful.

How Many Injuries Do NFL Players Suffer?

Aside from concussions in the NFL there is a concerning trend about preventable player injuries. Last year’s season showed some interesting data. NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills notes that “…a couple of injuries really jump out – lower extremity strains, knee ligament injuries, and ankle sprains.”² Whole body cryotherapy can uniquely reduce the incidence and severity of these injuries, potentially keeping more players off the Injured Reserved list and on the field. But had the Chiefs used cryotherapy more Mitchell Schwartz may have been able to play.

How Does a Cryo Chamber Work?

A cryo chamber works by chilling the body with very cold air, as much as -230F°, to cause a vasoconstriction of the surface area blood vessels. The body feels the intense cold and responds by surrounding the vital organs with warm blood as a protective measure. This provides an immediate relief from inflammation, much like placing an ice pack on a sore joint. The cryotherapy machine cools the entire body evenly.

Does Cryotherapy Help Win the Super Bowl?

The NFL, coaches, and players believe that cryotherapy does help to win games, especially the Super Bowl. Every team needs as much of an edge as possible. Coaches and team owners strongly believe that cryotherapy helps to prevent injuries. Football players can be sidelined for an entire season if they are injured. Teams that use a cryotherapy chamber have noticed less injuries and for those players who are injured, the injury and pain is less severe. Interested in learning more about our XR cryotherapy machine? See how easy it is (no email or registration required). Are you curious about the science behind cryotherapy?  Check out our list of peer-reviewed cryotherapy clinical studies.

Founded on facts: for peer-reviewed articles, scholarly journals, and articles cited above please see the below sources.

1. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jul/15/aston-villa-manager-dean-smith-says-lack-of-cryotherapy-is-harming-players. Note: In fact, the Premier League coaches in England have gone on record stating that not providing cryotherapy is causing injury to their players. During the beginning of the COVID-19 teams were not allowed to undergo cryotherapy in England. “There have been a lot of soft tissue injuries,” says Villa manager Dean Smith, who claims cryotherapy helps to prevent such injuries.

2. https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/health-and-wellness/injury-data/2019-injury-data-results-key-takeaways