By now you probably know you should take time to recover after a tough run or workout. Optimal fueling and a good cooldown stretch will do the body good, but what about more extreme measures, like cold therapy? Are there benefits of ice baths for those sore and achy muscles?
To get to the bottom of whether you should take the plunge, we spoke with an expert and seasoned runner, as well as scoured the research, to find ice baths’ benefits. Here’s what to know before you jump into freezing water.
The Benefits of Ice Baths for Runners
1. Improves blood flow
Cold therapy, via ice baths, constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which can reduce swelling and tissue breakdown. Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a faster return of blood flow, which helps move the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymphatic system for efficient recycling by the body, explains Robert Gillanders, D.P.T., a physical therapist at Point Performance and spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association.
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“When I’m actively trying to manage my recovery, I’ll balance my harder effort days with cold water,” Gillanders says. “Being strategic with days [you use an ice bath] is your most sensible plan. An ice bath on your most intense days makes sense.”
2. Reduces inflammation and soreness
For someone experiencing inflammation from a hard effort or injury, cold-based therapy can be an effective part of a recovery plan. A systematic review and meta-analysis, examining 99 studies and published in Frontiers in Physiology in 2018, found that cold exposure was the most powerful recovery method (along with massage) for reducing inflammation, when compared to other techniques like compression and active recovery. This research also showed that cold water immersion can be an effective way to manage perceived fatigue.
Also, a 2012 review of 17 studies published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that some evidence suggests ice baths can reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness, when compared to rest or no intervention.
3. Helps you recover faster
Science suggests that even though the effects of cold immersion postworkout can be minimal, it can do some good. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to prepare our body for the next workout, and cold is another brick in rebuilding after recovery with sleep, diet, hydration, stretching, and [more],” Gillanders says. A small 2012 study involving rugby players and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research supports this, indicating that ice baths may be more beneficial to an athlete’s recovery than passive rest, particularly between successive games.
One reason for this recovery benefit might simply be a placebo effect, according to one study involving 30 males and published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2014. The participants performed four sets of 30-second sprints, followed by 15 minutes of cold water immersion, normal temperature water placebo, or control, and then took self-assessments and a muscle strength test. The research found that participants’ readiness for exercise and pain tolerance, as well as muscle strength recovery, were the same for the placebo group and the ice bath group.
The Downfalls of Ice Baths
The biggest issue with ice baths’ benefits is the lack of quality research. Some of the studies mentioned above involve a small number of participants or authors mention the need for more and better research. However, if you believe ice baths work for you and your recovery, that’s probably reason enough to keep diving into the cold water.
One time you might want to put a pause on the ice bath is when focusing on resistance training. A 2019 paper published in the Journal of Physiology found that ice baths can hamper the generation of new protein in your muscles after resistance exercise.
Another scientific review article from published in Frontiers in Sport and Active Living in 2021 says that while cold-water immersion can help muscle recovery in the short-term following a resistance workout, it may have detrimental effects on muscle building, strength, and endurance. Taking ice baths during a time when you’re focusing on strength training may be beneficial to females and highly-trained athletes, but we just don’t have enough evidence to say either way, according to the authors.
Finally, if you don’t like the idea of ice baths or it stresses you out just thinking about it, one study of 30 recreational runners suggests that it’s just as effective as rest when it comes to muscle damage markers after a 10K run.
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When and How to Use Ice Baths
Though you could use individual ice packs, cold-water immersion generally produces a greater and longer lasting change in deep tissues and is a more efficient means of cooling large groups of muscles simultaneously. Luckily, to see benefits of cold water immersion, all you really need is water at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. “The water doesn’t have to be full of ice,” Gillanders says. “It just has to be cool.”
Gillanders also suggests only soaking for 10 to 15 minutes max. Otherwise, the cold can do damage to your skin. You might also notice that when you exit the ice bath, your legs feel stiff. Don’t worry, that’s normal.
Gillanders recommends taking ice baths on your harder workout days, like a tempo run, long run, or interval session. And you should pair it with other recovery methods, such as proper rehydration, a healthy diet, and stretching for maximum benefits.
To make the ice bath experience more tolerable, fill the tub with two to three bags of crushed ice, then add cold water to a height that will cover you nearly to the waist when seated—this helps you focus on the legs. Before getting in, put on a warm jacket, a hat, and make a cup of hot tea, and collect some entertaining reading material (perhaps the latest issue of Runner’s World?) to help the next 15 minutes fly by.
Drew covers a variety of subjects for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
