Sounds idiotic. How's that sprint gonna go with frostbitten feet?

However, another thing that sounds idiotic? Swim 2.4 miles, etc., etc.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

rappstar has pointed a few times to studies showing that inflammation is part of the recovery process, and while cold might reduce inflammation and relieve pain, it can also halt that recovery process.

personally I think the frozen recovery leg packs and frozen chamber and ice bath stuff is bonkers and a fad.

also compression socks

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Yah. I remember that discussion well. But, I still wonder if post-exercise cold treatment has a place after racing, where the goal is to minimize the damage rather than optimize the workout.

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"100% of the people who confuse correlation and causation end up dying."

This is interesting stuff http://www.cbc.ca/.../06/november-6-2010/ Not really about icing and recovery per se but does talk about swelling and reasons behind it.


Immune Collateral Damage

Immunologists have long been puzzled by "sterile inflammation", which occurs when the immune system responds to an internal injury, such as a muscle sprain, heart attack or stroke, with the same kind of powerful immune response that is used against a bacterial infection. Immune cells flock to the site of the injury and their inappropriate response may aggravate the damage that's already occurred. Dr. Paul Kubes, the Director of the Snider Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation at the University of Calgary, has been looking for the signals that summon these immune cells when sterile injury occurs. He's found that one of the triggers seems to be fragments of protein from mitochondria released from damaged cells. Dr. Kubes suspects that, to the immune cells, these mitochondrial proteins may look like signs of bacterial infection, and that this may explain the immune system's unfortunate reaction.

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Ian

Didn't know fads last 20 years. Teams have been doing it for a long long time.

If I remember correctly it was more like...

Inflammation is part of the training/recovery process, and speeding up your return to normal (via cold) may reduce the supercompensation you get from that inflammatory workout.

-Physiojoe

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-Physiojoe
Instagram: @thephysiojoe
Cycling coach, Elite racer on Wooster Bikewerks p/b Wootown Bagels

acupuncture has lasted thousands

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

http://espn.go.com/...mpionships-frostbite

Still being done:

http://bleacherreport.com/uninterrupted/lbj-uses-frozen-chamber-to-speed-recovery

Don't quote me on the exact science, but I know there is something behind the thermodynamics of a cell healing that says lower temperature is better. I believe this is part of the reason they lowered the body temperature of that Bills player who broke his neck a few years back but walked out of the hospital. Again, not claiming any truth to this just what I have learned and noticed.

Hasn't recent research shown that a hot bath aids recovery as well as an ice bath?

Whatever, a hot bath is nice. An ice bath is for nutters.

Omega 3 - fatty acids / fish oil - reduce post exercise inflammation, muscle soreness and recover better - ice baths in contrast have the same effects but the deleterious side effect of an ice bath is that whilst it reduces inflammation, it also reduces the training stimulus and adaption i.e. (quoting now) you hurt less because to all intents and purposes you trained less......

its worth checking out faster by hutchinson for interesting info on training.......

yeah I would imagine this has the most benefits during a multi-day stage race where it is more about feeling great the next day and less about full recovery/training methods. I could be way off though.