Freezing cold ice baths can provide both physical and psychological benefits, including more relief from pain and reduced inflammation, according to a new study.
According to research published in Sports Sciences for Health, spending between 10 and 15 minutes in an ice bath at 8-15 degrees Celsius found improved blood circulation, reduced swelling and pain, as well as an improved mood.
However, of the people surveyed in the study on ice baths compared to other therapeutic bathing solutions, just 14 per cent actually followed the guidelines correctly.
Some bathed in a much colder temperature, and many did not immerse themselves for the full ten minutes, instead, they spent between two and five minutes in the ice bath.
This is an issue, according to a lecturer of human physiology at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) Robert Allen PhD. He claims that when using ice bath therapy, the time spent in the water and the temperature the water is set to is important.
He claimed that the much quicker, colder baths are not offering close to the benefits that people who use them want to see.
A Doctor of Physical Therapy, Carol Mac D.P.T., C.S.C.S., confirmed this was the case and that it is understandable that people can struggle to stay in noticeably cold conditions for up to a quarter of an hour, but if that time isn’t reached, the body might not be stimulated enough to provide pain relief.
Her advice for people who are struggling with the temperature is to gradually increase the amount of time or lower the temperature and phase into it. Either start with five minutes rather than ten, or start at room temperature and decrease the water temperature every session until it is just right.
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2 December,2021
