Most runners know the routine: Log the miles, then climb into a bone-chilling bathtub of ice and water.
Ice baths aren’t pleasant, but many athletes suffer through them in hopes of an advantage on race day. But what if you didn’t have to languish in a tub bobbing with ice cubes to reduce inflammation and speed recovery?
n recent years, alternatives have gained wider acceptance among athletes looking for an edge. At studios popping up around Austin, you can slide on padded compression clothing or take a plunge in a chamber filled with super-chilled nitrogen gas.
Not everyone, though, agrees the treatments offer a benefit other than temporarily easing muscle soreness.
The day after the Kerrville Triathlon Festival, Kyle Klinger, 34, zipped on a pair of puffy, insulated compression “boots” at Restore Cryotherapy, which offers compression therapy as well as localized and whole body cryotherapy. He closed his eyes when an attendant flipped a switch, triggering the waist-high boots to fill with air and gently but firmly squeeze his legs in rolling waves from the toes up, like a tube of toothpaste.