A new study has found the widely practiced routine for soothing aching muscles and pains may actually be having a detrimental effect.
Ice bath recovery study.
Do ice baths reduce inflammation.
The comprehensive study found cold water immersion after strength training hindered muscle adaptation pouring cold water on the long held theory that an ice bath helps speed up recovery.
But a 2017 study may throw a wrench in that belief.
New evidence suggests ice baths do nothing to help muscle recovery after exercise.
That regularly taking ice baths blunts some of the desired effects of.
The practice of using ice baths to relieve sore muscles goes back decades.
Some research suggests ice baths may reduce soreness after workouts.
The assumption was that soaking in cold water promotes muscle recovery by reducing temperature blood flow and inflammation in tissues of the muscles.
A 2018 metanalysis of 99 studies looked at the effectiveness of several recovery methods.
The age old technique of having an ice bath after a grueling workout could actually be impairing muscle repair and growth.