Soothe Sore Muscles Like a Pro

Do postworkout ice baths really stop muscle soreness? Yes, according to a new review article published in The Cochrane Library. Cold water immersion (CWI) can help reduce muscle soreness between 15 and 20 percent in the 24 to 96 hours after an intense sweat session, the paper concluded.

Researchers combed through 17 studies that compared CWI after exercise with other common ways people deal with muscle soreness, such as passive recovery (basically doing nothing), active recovery (jogging at a slow speed for a short period), or compression (wearing wraps or tight clothes such as compression socks).

Compared to doing nothing, taking a dip in a freezing cold bath had a significant effect on reducing muscle soreness, says lead author Chris Bleakley, Ph.D., a research fellow at the Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Institute at the University of Ulster. It was about as effective as active recovery or compression. (Compression tights may also help your performance on a next-day workout, a new study found.)

Elite athletes have dipped into ice baths for years, Bleakley says. But what about your weekend warrior self—could cold-water baths do the trick for you?

Bleakley cautions that one thing the review turned up is a marked lack of research on negative side effects of CWI.

Researchers are well aware that taking a dip in very cold water raises the concentration of stress hormones in your bloodstream, and could prompt production of free radicals. Though research needs to be done to know for sure, those might have negative effects if you jump in frequently over a long period of time, Bleakley says.

If you want to try cold-water baths, Bleakley suggests these tips:

• Aim for a water temperature between 54 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the time of year and where you live, your tap water might be cold enough—if not, Bleakley says, throw in a couple trays of ice.
• Staying in 1 to 5 minutes is plenty. Start at 30 seconds to a minute, and increase your time each week.
• Reserve cold-water baths for your most intense workouts. Since they’re for reducing soreness, they’re probably not going to help you recover much if you’ve just taken a leisurely jog around the block.