Cryotherapy is the application of extreme cold to treat, as well as to prevent, injuries and tissue damage and improve the overall well-being of athletes by spending a few minutes in a chamber at extremely low temperatures, from -110°C to -160°C.

Sapio Life, part of the Sapio Group that operates in the health sector, has been chosen to partner Milan and install the chamber at the club’s training centre. By doing so, Milan become the first football club in Italy to make use of this innovative form of treatment for its players: a rapid and absolutely safe form of treatment. In fact, the nitrogen for the cooling passes through an exchanger and not once comes into direct contact with the players.

The chamber, which is mobile, is made up of two rooms. In the first one, the players spend around 30 seconds at temperatures of -60°C to get the body used to the cold temperatures. They then enter a second room, where they stay for 1-2 minutes at a temperature of -110°C to -160°C based on the indications from the medical staff.

The defense mechanism triggered by the cold is able to stimulate blood circulation, the endocrine system, the immune system and the central nervous system, with an overall beneficial effect on the body. These treatments can help reduce inflammation and the recovery period after injury, while at the same time increasing muscle strength and pain threshold.

Thanks to the Cryotherapy, the club’s medical staff can treat injuries such as tears or bruises, muscle fatigue and pains, acute tendinitis or overload, ligament injuries and cartilage injuries. The chamber allows for “Whole Body Cryotherapy” which means that the entire body is completely exposed to the cold and the benefits are higher than those obtained with a treatment carried out in cryo-saunas, where shoulders, neck and head remain outside.

“For Sapio Life it is a great honour to support Milan in helping to improve the health of its stars – Maurizio Colombo, Vice President of Sapio Group – We have brought to Milanello the first cryo-chamber for cryotherapy, giving complete support to the rossoneri, from installation to maintenance of the structure, from the distribution and supply of nitrogen, from the training of the doctors, who will prescribe the various rehabilitation therapies, to advice on the use of the chamber.”