Effects of whole-body cryostimulation on spinal and shoulder range of motion in individuals with obesity.
Serena Cerfoglio, Federica Verme, Jacopo Maria Fontana and 4 others
PMID 40772266WHAT IT FOUND
Adding whole-body cryostimulation to a 4-week rehabilitation program improved spinal and shoulder range of motion in people with obesity compared to rehabilitation alone.
The control group saw no significant change in these measures.
Key findings
01The cryostimulation group showed significant improvements in shoulder extension and spinal rotation range of motion compared to baseline, while the control group did not show significant changes in range of motion.
02Participants in the cryostimulation group completed motor tasks significantly faster after the treatment cycle, indicating improved efficiency.
03An acute increase in spinal rotation range of motion was observed immediately after the first cryostimulation session, specifically within the treatment group.
STILL TO COME
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What it does not show
The study was not randomized; participants were enrolled consecutively, which may introduce selection bias. The sample size was small (42 participants), limiting the generalizability of the findings. Blinding was not possible due to the nature of the cold treatment, and a placebo effect cannot be ruled out. The control group did not receive a sham cryostimulation, so the benefits may partly reflect the additional attention or novelty of the treatment. Follow-up was short-term, so it is unclear if the improvements in range of motion persist after the treatment ends.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente). The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that cryostimulation alone causes these improvements. Both groups received the same intensive 4-week rehabilitation program, and the study design cannot fully separate the effect of the cold therapy from the psychological or physical benefits of receiving additional, specialized treatment.