Science Wire: New Data on the Benefits of Ice Baths

The well-regarded and prolific Chochrane Library has just published a scientific review on the potential benefits and risks of post-run ice baths (paper).  Collecting data from 17 small studies, the authors concluded that ice baths can help alleviate delayed onset muscle soreness compared to just resting.  This is no surprise to those many runners who routinely put themselves through the - shall we say, invigorating? - process.

Typical of Chochrane their report if full of caveats.  The studies were small and of low quality and could did not provide enough data to compare ice-baths' benefits to those of other post-run "treatments," say light jogging.  Concerns about the risks from ice-baths, largely due to their shocking nature, were also discussed, but little or no data were gathered about these risks, so no conclusions could be drawn.

So, it seems, if you're an ice bather, you have some new data that may help you stay in there just a little bit longer.

Links

Paper: Cold-water immersion for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise

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