brickrunnin wrote:
Star wrote:No. Don't put your legs up against a wall.
A cold whirlpool for your legs is good for recovery.
Not an ice bath.
Incorrect, ice constricts blood vessels, reduces blood flow.
Inflammation is a good thing, helps with repairing muscles. Ice baths/whirlpools reduce inflammation, therefore no good for recovery.
Should note, ice is important for specific injuries (i.e sore ankle).
One should be aware of the stages of post-exercise inflammation and repair prior to making such grossly general statements. Ice/cold does indeed restrict blood flow and thus inflammatory infiltrate, but the first stage of inflammation is one that serves no useful purpose for recovery, in that it involves neutrophilic predominance with subsequent tissue destruction. Reducing the first stage of inflammation can greatly improve healing capacity. Therefore, icing within the first 24 hours has no inhibitory effect and may have a theoretical benefit to muscle repair.