Deep Heat Vs Deep Cold for Recovery

After exercise, soreness and pain have been managed by athletes for years with all sorts of methods including massage, ice baths, sauna, jacuzzi/whirlpool, etc. Today we are going to dive  into the deep end in the use of sauna’s, ice baths, and other deep thermic treatment methods and see which is superior in recharging the body for competition or performance.

Let's start with the use of deep cold. For years the use of deep cold like ice baths or cold plunges has been used to help athletes feel less sore and ready to perform with upcoming competitions. Now with the advent of modern chemistry an even deeper cold is being used with cryotherapy chambers for 2-4 minutes at a time. Many benefits have been proposed for deep cold including reduced soreness, increasing anti-inflammatories, improved immunity to infection or sickness, decreasing muscle spasms, increasing O2 supply to cells, reduced perception of fatigue, increased analgesic effect, decreased oedema, and others.

According to a randomized controlled trial, cold water showers were effective or recommended to reduce cardiac stress after a routine workout in a hot environment. However no other significant benefits were found in this study that examined the effects of cold water showers post high intensity cycling in heat. When going a little colder with cold water immersion or ice baths we find periodic or occasional use of cold water immersion via ice water baths may assist athletes when they need to recover quickly between training sessions or competitive events. However, in the long term, frequent cold water immersion appears to be detrimental for developing muscle hypertrophy as it disrupts protein muscle synthesis. Specifically in regard to soft tissue and muscle, a German study demonstrated that the researchers were unable to detect any significant effects of CWI (cold water immersion) on muscle stiffness post-exercise.

When going to extreme cold conditions using whole body cryotherapy chambers with extreme cold air exposure (below -100 degrees C) in a specialized chamber for 2-4 minutes for time. Proponents of this treatment cite numerous benefits as previously stated above; however the evidence falls short. Specifically in regard to preventing and treating muscle soreness, whole body cryotherapy was unable to provide sufficient evidence to determine whether whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) reduces self-reported muscle soreness, or improves subjective recovery, after exercise compared with passive rest or no WBC in physically active young adult males. In comparing WBC with CWI one study was able to demonstrate results that favored the use of CWI over WBC as CWI was more effective than WBC in accelerating recovery kinetics for countermovement-jump performance at 72 h postexercise. CWI also demonstrated lower soreness and higher perceived recovery levels across 24-48 h postexercise. One review of multiple studies involving CWI summarized that the evidence for CWI as treatment for upregulation of immune function, post exercise soreness, treatment of inflammation related conditions, and improved recovery post exercise ranges from anecdotal to case control studies with high and low risk of confounding bias and variables. 

In contrast to the previous paragraphs, the use of sauna or deep heat has been subject to much study on its role in recovery following exercise. Studies have shown that the use of deep heat as in infrared sauna and Finnish dry Sauna where ones internal core temperature elevates to roughly 32 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal resting body temperature, there is a natural increase in salivary cortisol as a reaction to the thermic stress, increased vasodilation, decreased resting heart rate over time, improved cognitive processing economy or function, reduced risk of heart failure over time, and reduced physiological strain. However, while many of these studies cite benefits over the long term, there were a few studies that evidenced detrimental effects when using Sauna with competition the following day. One study indicated that competitive swimmers and triathletes with at least 2 years experience participating in the study noticed a significant increase in their swim times when asked to perform an all out swim test the following day from performing the same test followed by a Sauna bath. 

In summary, the perceived benefits with use of CWI following bouts of intense exercise are in reducing heart rate and relative reduced soreness especially if competition is held the following day, however risks are involved with deep cold WBC treatment methods including frostbite and hypothermia risks with CWI. Deep cold may be beneficial following training in intense heat as a way to reduce heart rate and perceived relative muscle soreness. However, on the other hand, when using heat for recovery, it would be best to avoid it if you have competition the following day. This does not discount the overarching benefits of deep heat or Sauna when used in conjunction with a safe training regimen for long term adaptation with reductions in resting heart rate, neural cognitive function, reduced physiological strain, and improved vascularization. All studies recommended the need for further studies and evidence before promoting CWI, WBC, and Sauna as treatment methods for recovery.

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