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The Answer: The Performance Digest.

A monthly summary of the latest Strength & Conditioning, Nutrition, Coaching, Recovery, Technology,
Rehab, and Youth Development research.

Summary

Cold water immersion therapy is becoming an increasingly popular recovery protocol, and has been
proven to improve recovery for subjective measures, but its effects on objective measures are far less
apparent. Despite its ability to improve recovery, the underpinning psycho-physiological responses of
this recovery method are still not fully understood. Whilst further research is needed, the attenuation of
inflammatory pathways and the hydrostatic effects of water immersion both pose interesting concepts
for the positive effects of cold water therapy. Furthermore, plunging into cold water may be less
beneficial in terms of recovery than immersion into thermoneutral water temperatures. The chronic
effects of cold water immersion are still not fully understood, but some research has suggested that it
may hinder vascular and muscular adaptations from both endurance and resistance training. Lastly, a
recent study has reported that the optimal immersion duration is between 11-15 minutes.