BY GABRIELLE WAHJOSOEDIBJOCold water immersion (CWI) has become an increasingly popular method of athletic recovery in the past decade. Nearly all high schools and universities have ice baths to reduce soreness in their athletes after practices or games. However, its increasing popularity has led many to question whether or not it is actually effective. Proponents of CWI claim that ice slows circulation and blood flow, thus relieving swelling, pain, and inflammation after acute exercise. While ice can help muscle recovery, science that supports CWI as a valid method of recovery is virtually nonexistent. Studies on the practice have highlighted its lack of effects rather than its benefits. A 2016 study conducted by the Queensland University of Technology found that the effects of CWI on systemic inflammatory responses to intense exercise are relatively minor. It involved a group of nine physically active men who performed resistance exercises and sat in a cold tub for ten minutes. Their blood samples were collected before, immediately after exercise, and immediately after the recovery therapy. Evidence showed that creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, increased after exercise and remained elevated for 48 hours even after the cold water treatment. The research team admitted that less muscle soreness was a consistent effect of CWI, which suggests that the practice influences pain and nociceptor activity in muscles. Thus, the apparent alleviation of muscle soreness after taking an ice bath is likely the cause of its popularity in athletes even though it does little to actually treat recovery. There have been some meta-analyses that have supported the effectiveness of CWI, however. For example, a Cochrane systematic review showed that CWI not only reduces post-exercise soreness but also improves the recovery of muscle power. This may be because hydrostatic pressure reduces inflammation in muscle, similar to compression stockings. Additionally, CWI’s apparent facilitation of recovery may be explained in that reduced tissue temperature may lower the firing rate of muscle spindles, which could exert an analgesic effect. While these findings could be true, the physiological effects of CWI are still uncertain. It is difficult to administer a placebo effect in studies like these. A study conducted by Victoria University researcher James Broatch actually included a placebo and found that CWI’s effects were no greater than the placebo effect. Despite the growing popularity of cold water immersion therapy, there has not been much science that supports its effectiveness in helping muscle recovery. Additionally, CWI is no more effective than active recovery in minimizing inflammatory post-exercise responses. References
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8/1/2022 09:14:02 pm
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