Effects of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Other Recovery Modalities on Athletic Performance Following Acute Strenuous Exercise in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression
Moore E, Fuller JT, Bellenger CR, Saunders S, Halson SL, Broatch JR, Buckley JD
Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 33 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2022-12-17 · Sports Med · vol. 53 · issue 3 · pp. 687–705
- Publisher
- Springer Science+Business Media
- Cited
- 51 citations · more than 89% of similar papers · 2.2× the field average
- References
- 75 works
- Access
- Paywalled
- Research areas
- Exercise and Physiological Responses · Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Keywords
- Sports medicine, Meta-analysis, Meta-regression, Physical therapy, Medicine, Modalities, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Immersion (mathematics), Exercise physiology, Hydrotherapy, Internal medicine, Alternative medicine
- MeSH
- humans, water, creatine kinase, immersion, athletic performance, cold temperature, myalgia
7 authors
From AU
- Emma Moore · correspondingUniversity of South Australia
- JOEL THOMAS FULLERMacquarie University
- Clint Ronald BellengerUniversity of South Australia
- Siena SaundersUniversity of South Australia
- Shona Leigh Halson
- James R. BroatchVictoria University
Abstract
Background
Studies investigating the effects of common recovery modalities following acute strenuous exercise have reported mixed results.
Objectives
This systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression compared the effects of cold-water immersion (CWI) against other common recovery modalities on recovery of athletic performance, perceptual outcomes, and creatine kinase (CK) following acute strenuous exercise in physically active populations.
Study design
Systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.
Methods
The MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EmCare, and Embase databases were searched up until September 2022. Studies were included if they were peer reviewed, published in English, included participants who were involved in sport or deemed physically active, compared CWI with other recovery modalities following an acute bout of strenuous exercise, and included measures of performance, perceptual measures of recovery, or CK.
Results
Twenty-eight studies were meta-analysed. CWI was superior to other recovery methods for recovering from muscle soreness, and similar to other methods for recovery of muscular power and flexibility. CWI was more effective than active recovery, contrast water therapy and warm-water immersion for most recovery outcomes. Air cryotherapy was significantly more effective than CWI for the promotion of recovery of muscular strength and the immediate recovery of muscular power (1-h post-exercise). Meta-regression revealed that water temperature and exposure duration were rarely exposure moderators.
Conclusion
CWI is effective for promoting recovery from acute strenuous exercise in physically active populations compared with other common recovery methods.
Protocol registration
Open Science Framework: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/NGP7C.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
Community trust
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