Cryo-Induced Hypoalgesia: The Effects of an Acute Cryochamber Exposure on Pain Perception—A Randomised Controlled Cross-Over Trial

IF 3.5 2区医学 Q1 ANESTHESIOLOGY

European Journal of Pain Pub Date : 2025-04-04 DOI:10.1002/ejp.70017

Fabian Tomschi, Alexander Schmidt, Thomas Cegla, Thomas Hilberg

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Abstract

Background

Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a treatment that involves exposing the entire body to extremely cold temperatures and is used in therapeutic and sports scientific settings. Here, cryotherapy is often used to alleviate pain, but its underlying pain physiological effects are under-researched. This study aims to explore whether a 3-min cryochamber application results in cryo-induced hypoalgesia.

Methods

24 healthy male participants successfully conducted this randomised controlled crossover study consisting of a 3-min WBC (cryochamber at −87°C) and a 3-min control (ambient temperature) session. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT [Newton/cm²]) were measured at the rectus femoris, knee joint, deltoid muscle and sternum pre and post0, post5, post15 and post30.

Results

Results revealed a significant ‘condition’ × ‘time’ interaction (p < 0.001, η²_partial = 0.280) for PPT_Total (pooled for one average value) with hypoalgesia observed after WBC (p < 0.001; pre: 77.0 ± 17.2, post0: 89.6 ± 18.6, post5: 83.6 ± 19.4, post15: 83.1 ± 18.2, post30: 80.8 ± 17.7) and no change following the control (p = 0.873; pre: 75.1 ± 18.8, post0: 75.3 ± 19.4, post5: 74.6 ± 19.2, post15: 75.7 ± 19.3, post30: 75.3 ± 19.1). The same pattern was observed for individual landmarks. Between-group differences were consistently observed, with higher values following the WBC. No significant ‘time’ × ‘intervention’ × ‘landmark’ interaction effect (p = 0.439) was found.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that a three-minute cryochamber exposure induces robust hypoalgesia in healthy participants, as indicated by increased PPT, lasting up to 30 min but gradually declining over time.

Significance Statement

Whole-body cryotherapy significantly induces short-term hypoalgesia, with increased mechanical pain thresholds lasting up to 30 minutes. Compared to ambient temperature, cryotherapy provided greater pain relief across multiple body landmarks, with 82.6% of participants experiencing hypoalgesia. These findings highlight the potential of cryotherapy for pain management and support further research on its long-term efficacy and clinical applications.

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背景全身冷冻疗法（WBC）是一种将全身置于极低温环境中的治疗方法，常用于治疗和体育科学领域。冷冻疗法通常用于缓解疼痛，但对其潜在的疼痛生理效应研究不足。本研究旨在探讨 3 分钟冷冻室应用是否会导致冷冻诱导的低痛感。方法 24 名健康男性参与者成功进行了这项随机对照交叉研究，包括 3 分钟的低温冷冻室（-87°C）和 3 分钟的对照组（环境温度）。在股直肌、膝关节、三角肌和胸骨处测量了压力痛阈值（PPT [牛顿/平方厘米]），分别为0前、5后、15后和30后。结果显示，PPTTotal 的 "条件"×"时间 "交互作用明显（p < 0.001，η2partial = 0.280）（集合为一个平均值），在 WBC 后观察到低痛感（p < 0.001；前：77.0 ± 17.2，后 0：89.6±18.6，post5：83.6±19.4，post15：83.1±18.2，post30：80.8±17.7），对照组无变化（p = 0.873；pre：75.1±18.8，post0：75.3±19.4，5 后：74.6±19.2，15 后：75.7±19.3，30 后：75.3±19.1）。单个地标也观察到同样的模式。组间差异持续存在，白细胞计数越高，组间差异越大。没有发现明显的 "时间"×"干预"×"地标 "交互效应（p = 0.439）。结论本研究表明，3 分钟的冷冻室暴露可诱导健康参与者产生强烈的低痛感，表现为 PPT 值升高，持续时间长达 30 分钟，但随着时间的推移会逐渐降低。意义声明全身冷冻疗法可明显诱导短期低痛觉，机械痛阈值的提高可持续 30 分钟。与环境温度相比，冷冻疗法在多个身体标志性部位提供了更大的疼痛缓解，82.6%的参与者出现了低痛感。这些研究结果凸显了冷冻疗法在疼痛治疗方面的潜力，并支持对其长期疗效和临床应用进行进一步研究。

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来源期刊

European Journal of Pain 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

5.60%

发文量

163

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： European Journal of Pain (EJP) publishes clinical and basic science research papers relevant to all aspects of pain and its management, including specialties such as anaesthesia, dentistry, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, palliative care, pharmacology, physiology, psychiatry, psychology and rehabilitation; socio-economic aspects of pain are also covered. Regular sections in the journal are as follows: • Editorials and Commentaries • Position Papers and Guidelines • Reviews • Original Articles • Letters • Bookshelf The journal particularly welcomes clinical trials, which are published on an occasional basis. Research articles are published under the following subject headings: • Neurobiology • Neurology • Experimental Pharmacology • Clinical Pharmacology • Psychology • Behavioural Therapy • Epidemiology • Cancer Pain • Acute Pain • Clinical Trials.