
It’s common to find a pitcher soaking their elbow in an ice bucket following a baseball game, in an effort to save their arm for tomorrow’s innings. But athletes about to hit the turf would be better off soaking their aching muscles and joints in a hot tub rather than an ice bath, researchers report in a new small-scale study. A hot soak appears to improve exercise performance among athletes, researchers found. On the other hand, cold soaks are better for lowering inflammation, swelling and fatigue, results show. “While post-exercise [cold water immersion] is common on the sports field, cooling does not always have a positive effect on exercise capacity,” lead researcher Mamoru Tsuyuki, a master’s student in sports and health science at Ritsumeikan University in Shiga, Japan, said in a news release. For the study, researchers asked a small group of endurance athletes to perform 50 minutes of high-intensity interval running, followed by 20 minutes of either a cold-water soak at 59 degrees Fahrenheit or a hot-water tub at 104 degrees F. One hour after the workout, researchers measured the athletes’ jump height and blood levels of enzymes that indicate muscle soreness. The athletes jumped higher after a hot soak compared to a cold soak, results show. “The novel findings from our study are that post-exercise hot water immersion promoted recovery of muscle power… read on > read on >