Research
Mixed
Cold water immersion (temperature <15°C) and cryotherapy reduce DOMS, but they do not significantly alter inflammatory markers (IL-6, CRP) or muscle damage markers (CK) after a single session.
If you want to feel less sore after a hard workout, try a 11-15 minute cold water bath (below 15°C) immediately after. It will help you feel better and less tired, but don't expect it to actually repair your muscle tissue or lower inflammation markers in your blood.
StrongQualifiesHIGH confidence
With the exception of immersion in warm water (>36◦), all the procedures were associated with similar improvements [in DOMS/Fatigue]. ... No significant effect was observed in our meta-analysis concerning changes in IL-6 and CRP concentrations in the blood.
Why this rating
Based on meta-analysis of 99 studies.
Source
An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis
Olivier Dupuy et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2018
DOI 10.3389/fphys.2018.00403
Meta-analysis · 99 studiesCited 382×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Post-exercise massage is the most effective recovery technique for reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and perceived fatigue, outperforming active recovery, compression garments, immersion, and cryotherapy.Strong
- Compression garments and immersion significantly reduce subjective DOMS and perceived fatigue, but they do not significantly alter blood markers of muscle damage (CK) or inflammation (IL-6, CRP).Strong
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