The effect of water immersion on the recovery of team-sport-specific exercise

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of two hydrotherapy techniques, cold water immersion (CWI) and contrast-water therapy (CWT), on the recovery of team-sport-specific exercise tests following muscle-damaging exercise. Methods: Seven male, team-sport players (mean±SD age: 21±2 y, body mass:76.8±7.2 kg) completed a preliminary familiarisation trial for three team-sport-specific exercise tests (TESTS), which included an all-out 30-m sprint test, two agility T-tests (left and right) and a vertical jump test. Three experimental trials were subsequently carried out, each separated by one week, using a counter-balanced cross-over design. On each visit a resting fingertip blood sample and a rating of perceived muscle soreness (PMS) was collected. Participants then performed the TESTS, followed by a 5-min rest period. A repeated sprint exercise (RSE) protocol was then performed to induce muscle damage, which comprised of 15 × 30-m sprints with a 10-m deceleration zone. Sprints were separated by 1 min. A second fingertip blood sample and PMS score was collected immediately after the RSE and a second set of TESTS were performed 10 min after the RSE. Participants then received either CWI, CWT or no water immersion (CON). The next day (24–28 h later) a final fingertip blood sample and PMS score was collected and a final set of TESTS were completed. Results and conclusion: There were no changes in plasma CK over time and no significant interaction effects between the three intervention groups (P > 0.05). The PMS increased from baseline to 24–28 h in the CON group (P 0.05). The PMS was significantly higher for CON compared with CWT after 24–28 h (P 0.05). There were no significant differences in performance during the TESTS between the three intervention groups across any of the three time points (pre RSE, post RSE or after 24–28 h; P > 0.05). These data suggest that the RSE may not have induced sufficient muscle damage to increase plasma CK levels, which may explain why the recovery interventions did not have a significant effect on performance of the TESTS. However, the differences in PMS changes indicate that hydrotherapy may be effective in suppressing the perception of muscle soreness when biochemical and performance markers are unchanged.