Beginners and Beyond

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Ice Baths: Good, Bad or Indifferent? (Read 77 times)

LRB


    Published by Runners Health:

     

    "Even though ice baths are popular between athletes, scientists are still not sure whether they are useful and safe. In a study published in Extreme Physiology & Medicine, Gillian White and Greg Wells reviewed the studies about their immediate effects on recovery. As the long-term and possible negative side-effects have not been properly evaluated, they could not comment on them, even though they might be important.

     

    How does a bout of intense exercise affect your muscles?

     

    Metabolic stress

    A hard workout requires a lot of energy production and creates heat, which lead to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are highly reactive chemicals that can destroy proteins en lipids. They damage the cell membranes and the coupling between nerve cells and muscle fibres. The latter makes contractions more difficult and less efficient, while the former makes the muscle fibre more permeable to water and leads therefore to oedema of the cell. Oedema compresses capillaries, and makes it more difficult to deliver oxygen correctly and to take waste products away. It also makes you feel sore.

     

    To repair the damaged muscle fibres and to take the debris away, your body starts an inflammatory reaction. Even though you cannot recover without it, it is often too strong and can lead to further damage.

     

    Mechanical stress

    Intense or unaccustomed exercise can also lead to mechanical stress, especially when the muscular contractions are eccentric (contracting while the muscle is lengthening, as for example the quadriceps muscle does when you come down the stairs). This disrupts the membranes, which interferes with contractions, makes the cells more permeable and leads to oedema. Micro trauma can lead to muscle spasm.

     

    Here again, you need an inflammatory reaction to repair the muscles, but it might start off by creating further damage.

     

    How could an ice bath help you?

     

    After exercise, muscles have an increased energy demand as they try to repair themselves and to replace energy stores. Cooling will slow their metabolism down, and therefore generate less ROS. It will decrease the inflammatory reaction and the muscle spasm, and as it reduces the blood flow, it also limits the oedema.

     

    It cannot do anything about the effects of mechanical stress and disruption of the muscle fibres, but as muscle soreness is often due to a combination of mechanical and metabolic stress, it can help. How useful it is will therefore depend on the kind of exercise you have done.

    Ice has an analgesic effect, but this can be confusing, since your muscles might not have recovered even though the soreness has disappeared.

     

    Possible long-term effects

     

    ROS are essential to allow your body to increase its anti-oxidant defence mechanism. A stronger defence mechanism will allow you to withstand more ROS production during your next work-out. To destroy all of them is thus harmful. Your body has to learn to regulate them, and this is part of the training effect of a workout.

     

    Without an effective inflammatory reaction you cannot properly repair your muscles. You need it to replace the dead and damaged muscle fibres by stronger ones, and to become a better athlete in the process.

     

    As far as I know, there are no studies examining the long term effects of ice baths, but sport scientists are worried indeed that taking too many of them could reduce the benefits you get from your hard work. The usual advice is therefore only to use an ice bath if you are participating in multi-day events or if you have so many races planned that you cannot recover quickly enough otherwise.

     

     

    Dangers

     

    Even if you are a very fit athlete, taking a cold bath is a shock to your body. You could hyperventilate, faint or develop heart rhythm disturbances. As yet, no studies have looked into this problem, and therefore we do not know if it is a real risk. Worse, as it is not clear how helpful ice baths really are, we do not know what the risk/benefit ratio is."

     

    Link to story here (link)

     

    LRB


      I have never taken an ice bath post-run, or a walk through a stream or brook as is common around these parts, as I believe in traditional recovery.  But I have seen runners do it and know several who swear by them.

       

      Has anyone ever tried one and if so, what are your thoughts on its effectiveness?

      happylily


        Ice baths are cold. So no, never tried one.

         

        Big grin

        PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

        18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

        meaghansketch


          I haven't really tried them (took a couple really cold baths, but probably nothing that would really qualify as an 'ice bath') but there was a good article in Running Times within the past year on ice baths:

           

          http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/cant-hurry-love?page=single

           

          Relevant pull quote:

          they (the research team) discovered that at the end of training, the non-ice-bathed limbs had gained more strength, more circulation and more endurance than their ice-bathed counterparts. Even VO2 max (as measured in single-leg tests) had gone up more in the non-ice-bathed legs. The conclusion: Ice baths are counterproductive.

           

          There's more to it than that, of course, and the article goes into when they can be used effectively. But increasingly the takeaway from research seems to be that inflammation is necessary for training to really have its maximum effect, and so things that stop inflammation should be used sparingly if at all. (plus I really don't like cold, so the idea that ice baths might be counterproductive appeals to me quite a lot!)

          Docket_Rocket


            I used to do them when I was a newer runner but have not done one in 4 years.  I am usually never sore.

             

            Now epsom salt baths are better.

            Damaris

             

            As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

            Fundraising Page

            FreeSoul87


            Runs4Sanity

              Like Lily said, but I'll add that I am too chicken shit to put my ass in one............. I'd rather take a really cold shower or rub some of my ice rub stuff on my legs.

              *Do It For Yourself, Do It Because They Said It Was Impossible, Do It Because They Said You Were Incapable*

              PRs

              5k - 24:15 (7:49 min/mile pace) 

              10k - 51:47 (8:16 min/mile pace)

              15k -1:18:09 (8:24 min/mile pace)

              13.1 - 1:53:12 (8:39 min/mile pace)

               26:2 - 4:14:55 (9:44 min/mile)


              Jess runs for bacon

                There's too much science in that article for me, but I do usually run my lower legs under cold water after a race and it seems to help.


                Mmmmm...beer

                  I tried it once, it sucked and made absolutely no difference in my recovery.  So I went back to taking hot showers after a run, which feel good, and my recovery is the same. Smile

                  -Dave

                  My running blog

                  Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!


                  delicate flower

                    Fock that.

                    <3

                      A swim in a lap pool will give you the same benefit.  Makes my legs feel great!

                      Take Charge. Train Harder. Suck Less. No Excuses.

                      Gustav1


                      Fear is a Liar

                        This is how I approach it- the beer goes in the ice bath and I drink it on the warm couch.

                         

                        But seriously - I have taken maybe 2 "ice" baths. What I did was sit in the tub and filled it with just cold water. I might have felt a little better but like Damaris said, I don't really get sore any more. Plus the science seems inconclusive. So why sit in a tub full of cold water just to let your junk shrivel up?

                         

                        Another thing that is kind of sort of like an ice bath is to lay down on the floor perpendicular to a wall and extend your legs upward and rest them on the wall. So your back is on the floor, you are bent 90 degrees at the hips and your legs are going up the wall. The theory is the "waste products" from exercise will flow out of your legs. I guess it's like those diabetic socks that keep up circulation. I did the "wall" thing once.

                        I'm so vegetarian I don't even eat animal crackers!

                        Docket_Rocket


                          This is how I approach it- the beer goes in the ice bath and I drink it on the warm couch.

                           

                          But seriously - I have taken maybe 2 "ice" baths. What I did was sit in the tub and filled it with just cold water. I might have felt a little better but like Damaris said, I don't really get sore any more. Plus the science seems inconclusive. So why sit in a tub full of cold water just to let your junk shrivel up?

                           

                          Another thing that is kind of sort of like an ice bath is to lay down on the floor perpendicular to a wall and extend your legs upward and rest them on the wall. So your back is on the floor, you are bent 90 degrees at the hips and your legs are going up the wall. The theory is the "waste products" from exercise will flow out of your legs. I guess it's like those diabetic socks that keep up circulation. I did the "wall" thing once.

                           

                          Just clarifying that I didn't say that. Joking

                           

                          After the PR Marathon, I spent all afternoon at the pool and hot section of the pool.  Legs were great.

                          Damaris

                           

                          As part of the 2024 London Marathon, I am fundraising for VICTA, a charity that helps blind and visually impaired children. My mentor while in law school, Jim K (a blind attorney), has been a huge inspiration and an example of courage and perseverance. Please consider donating.

                          Fundraising Page

                          Gustav1


                          Fear is a Liar

                            Sorry Damaris - I should have started a new paragraph! You don't get sore.

                             

                            I say the science is inconclusive and MY junk shrivels upBig grin!

                            I'm so vegetarian I don't even eat animal crackers!

                            bluerun


                            Super B****

                              I wear a 5mm wetsuit when I dive in 85°F water... and I'm still cold.  Do you think I've ever tried an ice bath?!

                               

                              I mean, if there existed some solid proof that it was actually beneficial, then I might give it a shot.  But until then?  I'll take my baths steaming hot and with a heavy dose of epsom salt + lavender oil, TYVM.

                              chasing the impossible

                               

                              because i never shut up ... i blog

                                It's bad enough when a big glob of slush soaks my shoe.

                                 

                                Full body immersion in that? Yeah, no.

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