Published in the Cochrane Library a recent study reveals that there may be something to cold water immersion post exercise, but more research still needs to be completed.
Cold water immersion is popular within multiple sporting environments as a method of alleviating DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) post exercise. Last year at the CF games all athletes had access to ice baths post workout and they became popular resting spots for athletes between workouts in the scorching California sun. Athletes and coaches alike have supported the concept of ice baths and other cold water submersion techniques, but little research has been done to prove its effectiveness.
In this study researcher’s used 366 volunteers after resistance training, running, or cycling to test the ice bath theory. Athletes were instructed to stay in the cold water for 24 minutes on average. These athletes who used the cold water submersion were compared to others who simply rested after exercise. The cold water submersion group reported much less DOMS in the following 1-4 days. Researcher Chris Bleakley stated; we found some evidence that immersing yourself in cold water after exercise can reduce muscle soreness, but only compared to resting or doing nothing. Some caution around these results is advisable because the people taking part in the trials would have known which treatment they received, and some of the reported benefits may be due to a placebo response. There may be better ways to reduce soreness, such as warm water immersion, light jogging, or using compression stockings, but we don’t currently have enough data to reach any conclusions about these interventions.
I think something to take away from this study is that even though cold water immersion was not compared to other modalities of recovery – it may still be helpful in reducing post exercise muscle soreness. The simplest method to use within our facility is contrast showers, which are very hard to achieve to the same temperatures as ice baths, but can still provide a great deal of comfort and potential decrease in DOMS.
The best method is to run a shower as hot as possible for 60sec and then as cold as possible for 60sec x 3-5. When running the water over the body it is important to stay moving as much as possible which will help with the natural muscle pump action and blood flow. Also if possible keep as much of the water hitting your legs and upper back (largest muscle groups).
Also refer to the posters in the showers at Synergy for instructions on different methods of contrast showers for post workout recovery.
