Introduction: Cryotherapy is used in physiotherapy to reduce inflammation, swelling, pain, spasticity, etc. It has an impact on the lowering of the surface temperature, and its effects are visible in the deep-lying tissues in the application area as well. There are several types of cryotherapy known, and one of them is whole body cryotherapy. The main principle of this technique is exposure of the whole body to extremely cold gas in specifically designed chambers that maintain a constant temperature. The latter is achieved by computer control that supplies liquid nitrogen to the chambers. The temperature can reach up to -190°C, and the cryotherapy’s purpose is to promote recovery from muscle injuries and accelerate the recovery of the body. Research results show that after whole body cryotherapy, the pain is reduced, muscle tension diminished and, simultaneously, the muscle capacity increased, which is why performing the exercise is easier after it. Purpose: The main objective of the diploma was to present the effects of cryotherapy in adults after physical exercise, based on the review of scientific literature. Methods: The descriptive research method was used in the preparation of the diploma thesis. Literature was gathered from the PubMed database, via remote access. The research was conducted between 2011 and 2019. The keywords used are whole body cryotherapy, cryotherapy and physiotherapy, and recovery after training. The literature review includes research written in English that met the inclusion criteria. Results: After revising the inclusion and exclusion criteria, seven studies were included in the literature review, in which different effects of whole body cryotherapy were examined. The authors assessed muscle pain, well-being, fatigue, muscle performance and sleep quality, using various parameters at different times. Discussion and conclusion: In five studies, whole body cryotherapy resulted in less muscle pain and lower values of inflammatory markers. It also resulted in better sleep after physical activity, in comparison to the control group. The therapies' parameters differed between studies, the most prominent of them being the one with the selection of different parameters (3 min at -40°C). Nevertheless, the positive effects of whole body cryotherapy were confirmed. Whole body cryotherapy appears to have affected muscle pain and body recovery after training, but due to the insufficient number of research subjects and the short time to monitor the effects of therapy, the results cannot be confirmed with certainty. Therefore, it would be necessary to do a study that would include a larger number of research subjects and last for a longer period of time. It would likewise be necessary to determine the exact parameters for its use, and to investigate the negative effects that may occur during therapy.
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