Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
Non-invasive Assessments of Subjective and Objective Recovery Characteristics Following an Exhaustive Jump Protocol
Published on: June 8, 2017
Effects of Immediate and Delayed Repeated Cold Exposure After Physical Exertion: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Callum Buehler1, Ronja Romitti1, Vanessa Wellauer1
1Rehabilitation and Exercise Science Laboratory (RESlab), Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, 7302 Landquart, Switzerland.
Background:
Local cryotherapy is widely used to support recovery after exercise-induced muscle damage, but the optimal timing of cold application remains unclear. This study evaluated whether immediate or delayed local cooling influences recovery from exercise-induced muscle fatigue.
Methods:
Forty-eight healthy adults (39 women, 9 men; age 22 ± 3 years) performed a single-leg eccentric leg-extension protocol to induce delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and were randomized to immediate cooling (ICG), delayed cooling (DCG; starting 24 h post-exercise), or control (CG) in a 1:1:1 ratio. Reusable gel packs (20 min per session) were applied to the vastus lateralis. DOMS, maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), creatine kinase (CK), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and ultrasound-derived muscle thickness (MT) were assessed at baseline and at 24, 48 and 72 h post-exercise and analyzed using linear mixed-effects models.
Results:
No condition or condition-by-time interactions were detected for the primary outcomes (DOMS, MVIC). Significant linear time effects were observed for DOMS, CK and ESR; MVIC decreased acutely and gradually recovered. A contrast-specific time-by-condition interaction for CRP did not indicate a systematic recovery advantage, and MT showed only minor temporal fluctuations.
Conclusion:
Neither immediate nor delayed cooling provided a meaningful recovery advantage over the control. The protocol reproducibly elicited fatigue and recovery dynamics, supporting its utility as a framework for future cryotherapy research.
