The impact of cold-water-immersion on athletes' muscle function and aerobic capacity: studies from thin to thick

Studies treating the impact of cold-water-immersion (CWI) on athletes' performance are very interesting and should be encouraged. The CWI is currently attracting the attention of the sports world as a recovery technique and it is often recommended in sports where contact is repeated throughout training and competitions. However, if some studies reported the efficacy of CWI as an analgesic against traumatic or immune aspects, currently there is not consistent unanimity of its use as a method of improving performance. The researchers set out to observe the effects of CWI on the restoration of numerous performance indicators, characterizing both the aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways, but also the different modalities of muscle contraction. However, few data appear to be available on the effects of CWI on performance and recovery capacity and very few studies have observed results in the same direction. Results regarding the impact of CWI on performance are conflicting, with a few studies suggesting beneficial effects and others indicating negligible effects. The two main aims of the present paper are to briefly expose the literature data related to the effects of CWI on muscle function and aerobic capacity of athletes, and to clarify the origin of discrepancies between studies' findings.