Lower-extremity-joint cryotherapy does not affect vertical ground-reactionforces during landing

Context: Cryotherapy is commonly used in the care of acute and chronic inju ries. It decreases pain, reduces swelling, and causes vasoconstriction of b lood vessels. Its detrimental effects on motor activity might predispose ph ysically active individuals to further injury. Objective: To examine the effects of cryotherapy on vertical-ground-reactio n-force (VGRF) during a 2-legged landing from a a-legged targeted vertical jump. Design: 2 X 4 MANOVA with repeated measures. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory. Participants: 10 men, means: 22.40 +/- 1.26 years, 76.01 +/- 26.95 kg, 182. 88 +/- 6.88 cm. Intervention: VGRF during landing from a targeted vertical jump (90% of max imum) was measured before and after four 20-minute cryotherapy treatments. Results: There were no significant differences in VGRF as a result of cryot herapy. Conclusion: Under the constraints of this study there is no evidence that r eturning to activity immediately after cryotherapy predisposes an athlete t o injury because of a change in VGRF.