WELLINGTON, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Ice-cold baths long used by elite athletes around the world to treat muscle inflammation, might do more physical harm than good, New Zealand medical scientists said Monday.
So-called ice baths did nothing to help muscle recovery after exercise, but could even reduce gains in muscle mass and strength over the long term, said Auckland University researchers who took part in an international study.
Ice baths were commonly believed to promote muscle recovery by reducing temperature, blood flow and inflammation in tissues of the muscles after competition and training.
"Ice baths have become almost standard practice for a lot of athletes, yet until now there have been no studies on humans to test their effectiveness," Prof. David Cameron-Smith said in a statement.
"Our study found ice baths are no more beneficial than a simple low intensity warm-down at reducing inflammation and muscle damage after intense exercise."
In the study, nine physically active men did leg resistance training exercises for 45 minutes on two separate days at least one week apart.
On one of the days, the men cycled at a low intensity, a "warm-down", for 10 minutes after exercising, and on the other, they immersed their lower body in 10 degrees centigrade water for 10 minutes post-workout.
Analysis of muscle biopsies showed the same pattern of inflammatory responses in muscles following ice baths and warm-down.
Cameron-Smith says there was some evidence that ice baths might be helpful in endurance training, and might be beneficial for tendon and ligament injuries.
"If you have a quick turnaround between games or events, ice baths may be useful to help you relax and provide short-term relief to muscle pain, but they're not going to reduce inflammation and will be detrimental to building muscle in the long run," he said.
"Apart from times when you need a quick wind-down, our advice would be drop them."
