Hot or cold water immersion after intense exercise does not speed recovery in women, despite immediate physiological effects. Digest
Immersing sore muscles in hot or cold water is a common recovery practice among athletes and other active people. However, most research on its effects has focused primarily on men, leaving women underrepresented in this area of study. A recent study found that neither hot nor cold water immersion improved muscle recovery in women after intense exercise.
Researchers asked 30 healthy young women to complete a demanding jumping workout to induce muscle soreness and temporary muscle damage. Immediately after the workout, and again two hours later, participants sat in cold, hot, or no water for 10 minutes. The researchers then monitored changes in muscle soreness, strength, swelling, and levels of creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, over the following three days. They also tracked muscle oxygen levels, core temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate.
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Cold water immersion reduced muscle oxygen levels, decreased skin temperature, and lowered core temperature compared to hot water or no immersion. In contrast, hot water immersion increased both skin and core temperatures. However, despite these distinct physiological differences, none of the groups experienced faster recovery than the others. Additionally, hot water immersion promoted slightly more muscle swelling and higher creatine kinase levels at specific time points.
These findings suggest that while hot and cold-water immersion alters the body’s short-term response, they don’t accelerate recovery in women after muscle-damaging exercise. However, cold exposure may have other health benefits, such as enhanced immune function. Learn more in our overview article.