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lchimi10
Question:
Whats everyones views on the use of ice baths?
Does anyone here use them regularly? If so how long for? Did you come up with that specific protocol from experience or have you seen any conclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness of ice baths post training. Although I understand their rationale is to reduce inflammation. Inflammation is part of the healing process so could we in reality just be interfering with the body's natural process of repair.
I look forward to everyones opinions with interest.
Asked by lchimi10 - 6 answers - 20 weeks 5 days ago
reggieb
My thinking is that you're taking an ice bath to avoid pain. However, it is more painful than what you are avoiding.
Submitted 20 weeks 2 days ago by reggiebI've never taken one and have no intention of doing so. I'd rather just feel stiff and sore for a few days.
I've found that compression clothing worn during and after exercise does make a difference to me, particularly because my sport of fencing involves a lot of very heavy landing on your front foot. It may be a placebo effect but I have noticed less delayed onset sorenes ssince I've worn the compression kit.
That's hardly a scientific endorsement but it does seem to work for me.
kpisle
Personally for me, I have found ice baths to be fairly effective for my recovery because I feel it refreshes my body after my work outs and prepares it for the next work out. I started ice baths because my trainer recommended it. I spend no more than 20 minutes at a time in the bath and the temp is not below 52 F.
Submitted 19 weeks 3 days ago by kpisleFrom my limited, but growing knowledge of the body and the way it reacts to exercise and healing, inflammation is part of the healing process but what the ice bath does to help with the healing and recovery is it helps to prevent excessive inflammation, which can lead to reduced ROM, by causing the muscles to cool and tighten. Also, i believe that the cold of the ice bath does promote healthy blood flow to the muscles because it reduces the amount of histamines present in the blood. Histamines, in high levels are detrimental and lowering them during recovery can help to increase recovery time. now, don't quote me on this, because I am by no means a scientist and have no means of scientifically testing or proving this.
Also, like you said, inflammation is part of the body's natural healing process because it does increase the blood flow to the stressed/damaged (because you are infact "damaging" your tissues by exercising) tissues, I have found controlled amounts of time in an ice bath to be helpful. I would imagine though that excessive time spent icing/ice bathing would infact be counter-intuitive.
My two cents/ limited knowledge, hope it helps, and if I am mistaken with some of these things I've said, please, by all means correct me, I do not claim to know everything I talk about, I just speak from mostly personal experience and my current schooling in exercise physiology.
ATyukody
I swear by them for runs that are 20+ miles.
Submitted 19 weeks 1 day ago by ATyukodyT_Larsen
My thoughts is that ice baths are good to reduce pains, but what is really taking care of the inflammation is the compression. So i will suggest to use the princip: RICEM - in a different way:
Submitted 17 weeks 2 days ago by T_LarsenRest
Compression
Ice
Elevation
Mobilisation
anne28
I have heard they are excellent for recovery. (Although I have yet to get myself in there to test it for myself!) I did, however, meet with a physician once who said an ice bath or treating an injury with ice interferes with the body's natural healing process and therefore she did not recommend it. She feels your body knows what to do and should be allow to have full control of the healing process. So it's a similar viewpoint to what you mentioned when posing your question.
Submitted 16 weeks 12 hours ago by anne28lchimi10
Thanks for all the replies. Interesting to hear that some of you had found compression so useful. Ive never thought to use it as an aid to recovery, generally just use it after injury. Though as already mentioned exercise is injuring the muscles to an extent.
Submitted 13 weeks 6 days ago by lchimi10