In sports therapy, an ice bath, or sometimes cold-water immersion, Cold plunge or cold therapy, is a training regimen usually following a period of intense exercise[1][2] in which a substantial part of a human body is immersed in a bath of ice or ice-water for a limited duration.[3]
The method is controversial,[4] with a risk of hypothermia,[5] with the possibility of shock[6] leading to sudden death.[5][7][8] Many athletes have used cold water immersion after an intense exercise workout in the belief that it speeds up bodily recovery; however, the internal physical processes are not well understood and remain elusive.[9] Evidence supporting cold water immersion as part of an athletic training has been mixed,[10] with some studies suggesting a mild benefit such as reducing muscle damage and discomfort[11] and alleviating delayed onset muscle soreness,[12][13][14] with other studies suggesting that cold water immersion may slow muscle growth and interfere with an overall training regimen.[15][16][17]
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^Note: This article only refers to the use of ice baths in sports therapy and not to their use in cold exposure programs like the Wim Hof Method where ice baths are of different temperatures and are used differently.
^Julie Deardorff (October 12, 2009). "Rules for runners: Skip the ice bath". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2011-08-13. ... many of my RW colleagues swear by ice baths after a long run or race. Not me. I still maintain that ice baths are an elaborate practical joke being played on runners ...
^Datta A, Tipton M (2006). "Respiratory responses to cold water immersion: neural pathways, interactions, and clinical consequences awake and asleep". Journal of Applied Physiology. 100 (6): 2057–64. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01201.2005. PMID16714416.
^Heller K, Salata S (1988). "Cardiopulmonary arrest after cold water immersion and hypothermia". Journal of Emergency Nursing. 14 (1): 5–8. PMID3279252.
^Rowsell GJ, Reaburn P, Toone R, Smith M, Coutts AJ (2014). "Effect of run training and cold-water immersion on subsequent cycle training quality in high-performance triathletes". Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 28 (6): 1664–72. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000455. hdl:10453/41986. PMID24626137. S2CID12032750.
^Christine Kearney, 20 February 2012, Medical News Today, Muscle Soreness – Is Cold Water Immersion Effective For Treatment?, Retrieved October 5, 2016, "...a cold bath may be an effective way to prevent and help sore muscles. ...difficult for researchers to determine exactly how much cold water immersion helps sore muscles, ...The researchers say it is necessary for more studies to be done in order to be sure of the effectiveness of cold water baths in treating muscle soreness. ..."
^Cite error: The named reference Cochrane was invoked but never defined (see the help page).