Cold Water Immersion Does Not Enhance Recovery and Performance After High-Intensity Interval Dorsiflexion Exercise
Richards AJ, Malekzadeh R, Elghobashy ME, Laham R, Power GA, Paris MT, Cheng AJ
Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 3 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- University or hospital
- York University
- Government
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Government
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada-Discovery Grant
- University or hospital
- York University Muscle Health Research Centre Graduate Student Fellowship
- Government
- Canadian Foundation for Innovation - John R. Evan's Leaders Fund and Ontario Research Fund
- University or hospital
- York University Faculty of Health Combined Junior Faculty Fund/Minor Research Grant
- Grants
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN 2020); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (dgecr-2020-00136); Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (rgpin-2020-06443)
Based on 6 listed funder(s) and full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2025-05-01 · Scand J Med Sci Sports · vol. 35 · issue 5 · p. e70061
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Cited
- 8 citations · more than 92% of similar papers · 3.4× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 44 works
- Access
- Open access (hybrid journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Exercise and Physiological Responses · Sports injuries and prevention · Sports Performance and Training
- Keywords
- Crossover study, Ankle dorsiflexion, Concentric, Medicine, Ankle, Plantar flexion, High-intensity interval training, Internal medicine, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Physical therapy, Cardiology, Anesthesia, Surgery, Mathematics
- MeSH
- muscle, skeletal, humans, water, body temperature, cross-over studies, immersion, muscle fatigue, muscle contraction, torque, adult, female, male, cold temperature, young adult, high-intensity interval training
7 authors
From CA
- Andrew John RichardsYork University
- Rohin MalekzadehYork University
- Mohamed E. ElghobashyUniversity of Toronto
- Robert LahamYork University
- Geoffrey A. PowerUniversity of Guelph
- Michael T. ParisYork University
Abstract
Cold-water immersion (CWI) has become a widely adopted method for post-exercise recovery. However, its effectiveness in restoring neuromuscular function remains inconclusive. This study examined the impact of CWI on recovery following high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Twelve young, recreationally active individuals (10 males, 2 females) participated in a randomized crossover study. Each session included six sets of 30-s all-out isokinetic concentric contractions of the ankle dorsiflexor and plantar flexor muscles, followed by 10 min of room temperature rest (RT) or CWI at 10°C. Neuromuscular function and intramuscular temperature were evaluated periodically over 24 h, as well as next-day fatigue resistance of the dorsiflexors. In both conditions, maximal voluntary contraction torque remained impaired for up to 3 h without significant changes in voluntary activation (p > 0.05). Electrically stimulated torque showed no difference in the fatigue-induced decline or recovery of 10 Hz torque, which also remained impaired for up to 3 h. However, 50 Hz torque recovered within 1 h following RT, whereas it remained slightly reduced for up to 3 h following CWI. The 10:50 Hz torque ratio showed immediate recovery with CWI, whereas RT recovery was delayed for up to 1 h. Notably, the ratio was significantly lower with RT at 0-, 0.5-, and 1-h post-intervention. Despite these differences, HIIE performance during a repeat bout conducted 24 h later remained similar. In conclusion, 10 min of CWI at 10°C does not enhance post-exercise recovery or next-day exercise performance following HIIE.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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