Players from the Central Valley Christian High School football team swear by cryotherapy to recover from games. Photo via CVC Facebook page

Kaweah Health Lifestyle Fitness Center in Visalia serves as a medically-based wellness center, and now a high school football team is seeing benefits after using its cryotherapy services.

Cryotherapy is a type of medical therapy that uses freezing temperatures to reduce swelling and inflammation. Central Valley Christian High School’s football team has taken advantage of the therapy, using it as part of its pre-game ritual. 

“It’s been great to work with them and help them continue doing what they love,” said Kala Donnelly, exercise physiologist at the Lifestyle Fitness Center.

During the treatment, individuals step into a chamber that surrounds their bodies with up to -220 degrees of non-toxic nitrogen gas. The session provides a dry chill, leading to a cooling sensation, which triggers healing. Benefits of cryotherapy sessions include decreased pain, reduced swelling and inflammation and acceleration of muscle recovery time. It can also aid in post-injury recovery.

Among them was Jaeden Moore, a defensive end for the CVC Cavaliers, and one of the first players on the team to use cryotherapy to help him recover from muscle stiffness. 

“This just speeds up healing and helps with soreness. When I came the first time just driving here was painful because my back hurt, but when I got out, [the pain] was gone,” said Tyler Hughes, who plays center for the football team. 

He had hurt his hip during strength training and used the session to prepare  for the team’s last game this past Saturday.

“They all say the same thing: they feel different afterward, they feel better,” said Todd Noeske, a member of the Central Valley Christian High School football coaching staff and father to two student athletes who have used the treatment. 

He says the players put their bodies through a lot, and cryotherapy is a good complement to recovery.

According to the school’s Facebook page, the team ended its football season as California Interscholastic Federation D4-AA State Runner-ups.