Our son is a competitive weightlifter and he swears by cryotherapy, as a way to relieve sore muscles.  He has made his own ‘ice bath’ set up in our yard, using a large water trough.  The trough is filled with water and he uses a small floating heater, to stop the water from freezing.

He says that immersing his legs in freezing cold water, really helps him avoid sore muscles.  So, when my legs were feeling tired and a little sore after my two and half hour bike ride today, I decided to give it a try.

The water temperature was about 45’F, as I stood there, contemplating my sanity before getting into the water.  Getting into the water was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be.  Staying in the water however, was a major challenge.  I could feel the heat being sucked out of my legs.  After a few minutes, it was quite painful.  A minute or so later, and I was out of the water and heading back inside the house.

I have to say however, that after warming back up, my legs did feel a lot better.  How could that be?  Well the theory is, that the intense cold, causes your blood vessels to constrict and this forces all the waste products, like lactic acid, out of your muscles.  It also reduces fluid build up and inflammation. Then, once exposure to the cold stops, your body increases circulation to the cold muscles and this further helps the healing process.

The science behind ice baths and cryotherapy is mixed however.  While it definitely reduces soreness and inflammation, that is not necessarily a good thing.  Building strength involves tearing down your muscles and building them back up stronger.  There are some who believe, that this ice bath treatment, reduces this strength building effect.

All I know is that those five or so minutes of extreme cold, made my legs feel much better.  I don’t think I’ll be taking an ice bath every day, but I do think an occasional trip to the water trough will be in my future.