# Effects of Partial-Body Cryotherapy on Athletic Performance and Sleep Quality in Division I Collegiate Basketball Athletes

## TL;DR

A study on college basketball players found that short-term partial-body cryotherapy slightly improved pull-ups but had no effect on other athletic performance or sleep quality.

## Contribution

This study is the first to investigate the effects of partial-body cryotherapy on athletic performance and sleep in collegiate basketball athletes.

## Key findings

- Partial-body cryotherapy increased the number of pull-ups performed by collegiate basketball athletes.
- No improvements were observed in sprint speed, vertical jump height, agility, or bench press performance.
- Subjective and objective sleep quality remained unchanged after partial-body cryotherapy.

## Abstract

This study examined the effects of short-term partial-body cryotherapy (PBC) on athletic performance and sleep quality in Division I collegiate basketball athletes. A crossover, counter-balanced design was employed with twelve collegiate basketball athletes randomly assigned to five days of a post-exercise PBC condition or a control condition. Athletic performance was assessed using six standardized tests from the Korean Basketball League (KBL) Draft combine. Objective and subjective sleep quality were measured using actigraphy and three validated sleep questionnaires, respectively. The number of pull-ups performed significantly increased after the PBC condition (9.2 ± 4.59 vs. 11.9 ± 4.77 reps, p < 0.05), whereas no improvements were observed in other performance measures, including the maximum repetitions of the 75-kg bench press, sprint speed, vertical jump height, and agility. Subjective and objective sleep quality were not enhanced after the PBC condition. These findings suggest that a short-term (5-day) application of PBC has only a limited effect on athletic performance and no effect on sleep quality. Future studies with longer intervention periods are needed to better understand the effects of PBC on athletic performance and sleep quality.