Many athletes will take a post-workout dip in an ice bath. You may have seen professional athletes submerged in ice after a game. There are many reasons that athletes may find it helpful, and there are several benefits to water therapies or treatments after exercising or working out. Immersion in cold water, also called “cryotherapy,” is used to help athletes recover faster and lessen muscle pain and soreness after strenuous workouts or competitions.
Several athletes find water therapies very helpful for recovery. Some athletes employ contrast water treatment (alternating between cold and warm water) to achieve the same effect as an ice bath. The post-workout ice bath is a regular recovery program for everyone, from elite runners to professional rugby and football players.
It’s important to question if something works, like with many practices. Check out the studies on the benefits and drawbacks of cold-water immersion or contrast water therapy after exercise. If this is something that you do try, it may be a very good idea to take notes to keep track of progress towards your fitness goals.
The Science of Cold Immersion Following Exercise
The reasoning behind ice baths is that strenuous activity generates microtrauma or little tears in your muscle fibers. Exercise causes a slight muscular injury by promoting muscle cell activity, which helps repair the damage and strengthen the muscles (muscle hypertrophy). On the other hand, it has been linked to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which happens 24 to 72 hours after exercising.
An ice bath is thought to constrict blood vessels and drain waste products such as lactic acid from damaged tissues.
Reduce metabolic activity and slow down physiological processes
Decrease inflammation and tissue degradation
The enhanced blood flow from rewarming is supposed to speed up circulation and, as a result, improve the healing process.
Even though there is no current protocol for the best time and temperature for cold immersion routines, most athletes or trainers who use them recommend water temperatures between 54 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit (12 and 15 degrees Celsius) and immersion times between five and ten minutes, with some going as long as twenty minutes.
The evidence about cold water immersion’s benefits, timing, and temperature after exercise must be more consistent.
Scientific Evidence Reveals the Benefits and Drawbacks of Ice Baths
Most studies on how ice baths and contrast water therapy affect muscle pain and recovery from exercise give unclear or contradictory results.
Although it may reduce inflammation, it inhibits muscle growth.
According to research, icing muscles immediately after maximal exercise reduces inflammation, inhibits muscle fiber growth and delays muscle regeneration. A 2015 study found that immersion in cold water may slow down training adaptations required for practical strength training, which would be bad news for athletes attempting to increase their strength and muscle mass.
Muscle Soreness May Be Reduced
A Cochrane analysis of 17 studies found that cold-water immersion reduced delayed-onset muscle soreness compared to rest or no intervention. There was insufficient evidence to conclude if it improved tiredness or recovery. Running studies revealed the most effects. All the analyses were of poor quality, with no criteria for side effects or active follow-up with participants.
An analysis of 13 studies found a modest indication that contrast water therapy was better than passive recovery or rest at minimizing exercise-induced muscle soreness recovery, but the difference was minor. Muscle soreness was unaffected by contrast water therapy, cold water immersion, active recovery, compression, or stretching.
Pain Relieving Potential
After a single intense workout, cold water immersion provides some immediate pain alleviation and may, in fact, aid recovery—at least an athlete’s reported perception of a speedier recovery. Following an exercise with cold water immersion may lead to decreased reported muscle aches and may help reduce lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, according to a 2016 study of jiu-jitsu competitors.
Alternating between cold and warm water baths (contrast water treatment) may assist athletes in relaxing and provide short-term pain relief.
Active Recovery as an Alternative to Exercise Recovery
Even though more research needs to be done before a final decision about cold water therapy, active recovery may be the best choice for athletes who want to recover quickly. In fact, according to a 2017 study, ice baths are not more efficient than active recovery in lowering inflammation.
A 2016 study found that active recovery is still the best way to recover from hard work. Lower-impact activities and stretches are still considered the best ways to calm down.
How to Carry Out Cold Water Treatment
Professional athletes usually have access to ice baths in a training room. Still, you can be an exceptional athlete to gain the benefits.
Bath with ice
You can practice cold water therapy in your bathtub. You might buy a large five or 10-pound bag of ice, but you can use cold water from your tap. Just fill the tub with cold water and, if wanted, add some ice. Let the water and ice settle for a few minutes to reach a chilly temperature.
Some people like to assess the temperature before getting in. In contrast, others prefer to submerge the lower half of their body and modify the temperature based on how they feel by adding more cold, ice, or warm water.
Please don’t overdo it with the chilly or cold water immersion after exercise. It should be plenty of time to reap the benefits while avoiding the risks. According to one study, the optimal schedule was 11 to 15 minutes of immersion at 52 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (11 to 15 degrees Celsius).
A chilly shower
You can begin with warm water and gradually move to cold water or take a cold water shower. Another option for practicing cold water therapy is to take a few minutes in a cold shower. This approach to cold water exposure may be the most straightforward and time-efficient.
Swimming in Cold Water Outside
Some people enjoy a brief dip in cold water like a lake or ocean. Keep in mind that this is a potentially hazardous activity. Hard water can be both mentally and physically disturbing. If you swim in cold water, always bring an observer with you. Warm up fast afterward to lessen your risk of hypothermia.
Safety
Keep in mind that exposure to chilly temperatures can cause hypothermia. Before you try cold water therapy, you should always talk to a doctor or nurse and stop if you feel tingling, pain, or discomfort.
Cold water immersion can induce severe cardiac stress, leading to heart attacks and death. Hard water can affect your blood pressure, circulation, and heart rate.
Because cold can create muscle tenseness and stiffness, it’s best to fully warm up 30 to 60 minutes later with a warm shower or a hot drink.
Water Therapy in Contrast (Hot-Cold Bath)
Suppose you prefer alternating hot and cold baths. In that case, the most frequent way is to spend one minute in a cold pool at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 15 degrees Celsius) and two minutes in a hot tub at 99 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 40 degrees Celsius), which should be performed three times.
This procedure, known as contrast water therapy (or CWT), can be used to recover from exercises. A 2013 review of research on CWT found that it might be better than passive recovery or resting after a hard workout.
Finally, we state
Whether the research backs up the ice bath hypothesis or not, many athletes believe that taking an ice bath after a hard workout helps them recover faster, avoid injury, and feel better. You can experiment with this to see whether it works for you. You can skip it the following time if you don’t like it.