Effect of cold immersion on muscle damage and performance during intense physical activity

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Dr. Med., Professor L.V. Kapilevich1
Postgraduate student Y. Wang1
Postgraduate student T. Li1
E.S. Negodenko1
1National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk

Objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of cold immersion on muscle damage and performance during intense physical activity.
Methods and structure of the study. A meta-analysis of publications on the use of cold immersion for recovery after physical exercise was performed. The keyword cold water immersion yielded 2650 articles over the past 20 years, and 703 results were found when adding the words sport and/or exercise. 120 articles with the highest citation index were selected based on the five-year period after the article was published.
Results and conclusions. Most studies indicate positive effects of cold immersion on recovery processes after intense physical activity. At the same time, positive effects are recorded mainly when using a temperature of at least 10-15 °C and a duration of over 15 minutes (or two short sessions with a short interval) and appear within the first 24 hours. Cooling with lower temperatures should be used with caution. Physical activity is also not recommended during the first hours after the cold immersion procedure.

Keywords: recovery, cold immersion, physical activity.

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