Athletes regularly take an ice-water bath after training or playing. It is known as cold water immersion/cryotherapy. It is used to relieve and reduce muscle soreness and pain after intense training or competition. From runners to professional tennis and football players, taking an ice bath is a common recovery practice. Many athletes utilize ice baths to help with faster recovery, prevent injury, and cool down the body. Here we provide some research on cold-water immersion therapy.
Table of Contents
Exercise causes microtrauma/tiny tears in the muscle fibers. The microscopic damage stimulates muscle cell activity to repair the damage and strengthen the muscles/hypertrophy. However, hypertrophy is linked with delayed onset muscle soreness and pain/DOMS, between 24 and 72 hours after physical activity. An ice water bath works by:
The effects of ice baths and cold water immersion on exercise recovery and muscle soreness.
More research is needed before a firm conclusion can be reached on ice-water bath therapy. However, active recovery is a recommended alternative for athletes looking to recover faster.
Allan, R, and C Mawhinney. βIs the ice bath finally melting? Cold water immersion is no greater than active recovery upon local and systemic inflammatory cellular stress in humans.β The Journal of Physiology vol. 595,6 (2017): 1857-1858. doi:10.1113/JP273796
Altarriba-Bartes, Albert, et al. βThe use of recovery strategies by Spanish first division soccer teams: a cross-sectional survey.β The Physician and sports medicine vol. 49,3 (2021): 297-307. doi:10.1080/00913847.2020.1819150
Bieuzen, FranΓ§ois, et al. βContrast water therapy and exercise-induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.β PloS one vol. 8,4 e62356. 23 Apr. 2013, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062356
Fonseca, LΓllian Beatriz et al. βUse of Cold-Water Immersion to Reduce Muscle Damage and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Preserve Muscle Power in Jiu-Jitsu Athletes.β Journal of athletic training vol. 51,7 (2016): 540-9. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-51.9.01
Forcina, Laura, et al. βMechanisms Regulating Muscle Regeneration: Insights into the Interrelated and Time-Dependent Phases of Tissue Healing.β Cells vol. 9,5 1297. 22 May. 2020, doi:10.3390/cells9051297
Shadgan, Babak, et al. βContrast Baths, Intramuscular Hemodynamics, and Oxygenation as Monitored by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.β Journal of athletic training vol. 53,8 (2018): 782-787. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-127-17
Sutkowy, PaweΕ, et al. βPostexercise impact of ice-cold water bath on the oxidant-antioxidant balance in healthy men.β BioMed research international vol. 2015 (2015): 706141. doi:10.1155/2015/706141
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