Cold Water Immersion for Exercise Recovery: DOMS and Training Adaptations
How does cold water immersion affect exercise recovery, muscle soreness, and training adaptations?
Cold water immersion significantly reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by 20-30%, accelerates recovery markers, and enhances perceived recovery, though it may attenuate some long-term training adaptations when used immediately post-exercise. This creates an important balance between acute recovery benefits and long-term adaptation goals that athletes and coaches must carefully consider.
Cold water immersion has become a cornerstone recovery modality in sports medicine, with extensive research demonstrating its effectiveness for reducing exercise-induced muscle damage and accelerating recovery processes. However, the relationship between acute recovery benefits and long-term training adaptations presents important considerations for optimal implementation.