Joanna Łuczak, Joanna Michalik

Joanna Łuczak, Joanna Michalik – Influence of extremely low temperatures on selected human motor activities. Fizjoterapia Polska 2006; 6(3); 206-211

Abstract
Background. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of extremely low temperatures (-100°C, -130°C, -160°C) on selected motor skills: flexibility, equilibrium, speed and dynamic abdominal muscles power. Material and methods. The study group covered 300 men, who permanently, by reason of their occupation, practice sports professionally. Participants were randomized into 3 groups attending to whole-body cryotherapy in following temperature: A -100°C, B -130°C and C -160°C. During each procedure patients were treated for 2 minutes in the cryochamber and then by 20 minutes exercise therapy. Before and after program consisted of 10 procedures 4 motor skills of patients were estimated and results were statistically analyzed using Wilcoxon test. Differences of motor skills were calculated separately for each person and findings of each study group were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. No statistically significant differences were found after matching of flexibility test results between groups treated in 3 different temperatures. Greatest improvement of equilibrium was noticed in group of patients attending to procedures in -160°C temperature (p<0.01). Change of speed was highest in the group of patients treated in -100°C, but average values was twice upper from other groups (p<0.0001). Increase of dynamic abdominal muscles power was also highest in group A — values were twice high from group C (p<0.001). Conclusions. Whole-body cryotherapy positively effects on selected human motor skills. The results of the short-term study not allowed choosing clearly from used temperatures which induced more positive improvement. A long-term research and the economic calculation are necessary to perform complete analysis.

Key words:
cryotherapy, whole-body cryotherapy, cryochamber, human motor skills

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