Cold water after exercise: soreness, recovery and uncertainty
A Cochrane review found some evidence of less muscle soreness after cold-water immersion. Small trials leave the practical questions open.
Worth knowing: A review from 2012, with searches up to November 2011. Cochrane’s summary page shows a later date, 2022; that page date is not new research.
The short version
This Cochrane review brought together 17 small trials with 366 participants in total. It found some evidence that getting into cold water after exercise reduced muscle soreness, compared with resting or doing nothing. But the trials were small and of low quality. They used different temperatures, times and kinds of exercise, and most did not check properly for side effects. The review could not say which method works best, or how safe it is.
Keep in mind
The trials were small and of low quality. This does not establish a cold-water routine to follow.
What they found
There was some evidence that cold-water immersion reduced muscle soreness after exercise, compared with resting or doing nothing.
The review could not establish the best water temperature, how long to stay in or how many times to go in. Most trials did not actively check for side effects, so safety was unclear.
What this means for your practice
If you like a cold dip after exercise, this review found some evidence that it may reduce soreness. It cannot tell you how cold, how long or how often, or how safe it is for you.
This does not establish a cold-water routine to follow. In KUUME, water is always your own choice, never a default.
Methods and limitations
What the researchers did
Cochrane reviewers looked for trials that tested cold-water immersion after exercise and compared it with resting, doing nothing or other treatments. They included 17 small trials with 366 participants in total.
A systematic review follows a set method for finding and judging studies. The method is careful, but a review can only be as certain as the trials it finds.
The review we describe was published in 2012, and its searches ran up to November 2011. Cochrane’s public summary page now shows 2022 as its date. We found no newer version of the review, so that later page date is not new research.
How much can this tell us?
The trials were small and of low quality. They used different temperatures, immersion times and kinds of exercise, which makes them hard to compare.
Later reviews have looked at the same question again. This article describes the 2012 review only.
What makes it useful
- A systematic review with a set method
- 17 trials and 366 participants in one place
- Open about poor safety reporting in the trials
What limits it
- Small trials of low quality
- Methods varied: temperature, time and exercise
- Side effects were rarely checked
- Published in 2012, with searches up to November 2011
Where this study fits
Where this study fits
We score claims, not single studies. This one is part of the evidence for:
Cold water after exercise eases muscle soreness. Well supported
Moderate certaintyMedium effectHow you feel or perform
Read the original
Bleakley C, McDonough S, Gardner E, Baxter GD, Hopkins JT, Davison GW. Cold-water immersion (cryotherapy) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;(2):CD008262.
DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD008262.pub2 · PubMed 22336838