Ice Bath....anyone do it often and does it really help?

[Luked]

I have been having some joint pain issues here lately for some reason. Not sure the reason really other than just getting older.
With loads of people doing these Ice Baths for joint pain was wondering if any of you all do it and if it really helps?
Anyone got any opinions on it?

 

[dlee56]

I did a cold shower everyday for a month last year and it helped with all kinds of stuff. Main thing I’ve found that helps with joint pain has been cutting sugars and processed carbs.

 

[CB4]

What is your diet like? I would start there.

Ice baths could help but if you aren't feeding your body properly you are just masking the issue.

 

[WoodBow]

IMO, it will help. I got into it before it got too hot to maintain. I don't have an automated setup so i was just putting ice in a water trough. Worked great until it got too hot to keep water cold. I really really enjoyed it. I don't have any real joint pain but I get beat up from working out. Some people seem to have to grit their teeth to get through it but I looked forward to it every day. The firs 30-45 seconds absolutely suck but I'm totally fine after that. I liked doing 20 mins at 45-50 degrees, rather than 3-5 at 34 degrees. Maybe it was just having 20 mins to myself in the quiet outside away from the kids, but it was great for me mentally. I fully intend to build a real setup but it has been back burnered due to spending money on hunting gear instead.

 

[CoffeeGoat]

Thread on cold plunge:

Cold Plunges?

I did a quick search on here and didn’t find much discussion so I’m curious, does anyone do regular ice baths/cold water plunges? I initially wanted to try it just to help with mental toughness and willpower but the more I read about it there seems to be a lot more benefits. From reduced...

rokslide.com

Short version, yes it will likely help, but it will take some time to adapt.

 

[dylanvb]

What is your diet like? I would start there.

Ice baths could help but if you aren't feeding your body properly you are just masking the issue.

I second this, many people don’t understand that the foods they might be eating could be giving them inflammation. I switched to a whole foods diet and the pain I used to have has gone away.

 

[Beendare]

The pro athletes do it…..I’ve seen articles saying its both good and bad.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I’ve been doing it off and on for a few years. Even if it has no physical benefits, it’s still worth it. Mentally making yourself get into the water and be uncomfortable is a benefit itself. It also wakes you up faster and gives you more energy than any cup of coffee out there.

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

Hot water has been out at work, so I’ve been unintentionally taking cold showers for 5 weeks now. Hate it every time I jump in but feel so good every time I step out.

 

[Marbles]

There is no good data for or against icing. This includes ice packs for actually injuries. Short term it helps with swelling and pain in acute injuries, long term it could hurt recovery. The data is just not there to say.

I would consider a full ice bath different than local cold therapy. Same for heat, personal experience is local heat therapy makes things worse, but a hot soak helps. Personally I have never had joints or muscles feel better after cold therapy (local or full body) and things that do not normally hurt become very painful with ice baths. None of that qualifies as evidence, just antidote. However, given the lack of evidence, questioning the traditional dogma of RICE is good.

Is it time to put traditional cold therapy in rehabilitation of soft-tissue injuries out to pasture? - PMC

Cold therapy has been used regularly as an immediate treatment to induce analgesia following acute soft-tissue injuries, however, a prolonged ice application has proved to delay the start of the healing and lengthen the recovery process. Hyperbaric ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"Traditional cold therapy (e.g., topically icing the injured area) may not be helpful but rather act as a barrier to recovery process. A prolonged period of cold on the skin was reported to lead to a reduction of the blood flow, resulting in tissue death or even permanent nerve damage."

 

[bigbassin]

Can’t speak to joint pain, but muscle soreness and overall attitude it makes a world of difference. Short term though, not an all day solution.

Went through a phase where I was doing it 3 times a week for about a month (days I would both run and lift). It would alleviate soreness for a few hours, particularly in my quads, not as much in my lower back or calfs. I was also very alert, focused, and in a great mood afterwards. But within an hour or two I’d be back to baseline mentally, probably 4 hours and soreness would come back.

One thing to note is even though muscle soreness went away, they were still weak just like always after a hard leg day.

Effects were short term, and I spent downright stupid amounts on ice plus extra water for the tub, so I stopped doing it. If I had funny money like the pro athlestes that push it, or lived somewhere cold enough I could just jump in the creek out back, I’d still do it. But not worth it imo if you have to spend money on ice.

 

[birdhunter17]

I have cut out sugar and beer during hunting season and it helps a lot. Have not tried the ice bath.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

What is your diet like? I would start there.

Ice baths could help but if you aren't feeding your body properly you are just masking the issue.

Yeah, it sounds like a diet and exercise issue. Ice baths and dunkings in an ice covered lake aren't going to fix that, no matter how much Vodka you drink.

 

[bozeman]

I cold plunge 4x/week…..been doing this since last Oct. highly recommend it for recovery…….

 

[tdoublev]

No false info here. Diet can make a world of difference but the ice is great too. I’m in the process of building a dedicated cold plunge with a 1 HP chiller. There’s great physical but also mental benefits. If you want a reliable source and in depth knowledge, look up Andrew Huberman. He has an entire podcast that covers the proven scientific data behind the benefits and how much exposure you need

 

[TAS95]

+1 on diet. Cut processed sugar as much as possible and replace with fruits for a better transition. Done this recently and noticed less days with a crash feeling mid afternoon and better overall days.

Personally think cold plunges / shower / bath has great potential for mental strength improvement, and through that increasing maximal effort potential. All about building up a catalog of things you have pushed through before and can compare a new obstacle to.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Yep, diet is number one. Without proper diet - almost entirely eliminating sugars, greatly reduced carbohydrates, and at least a near elimination of alcohol or eliminating it altogether - cold plunges aren't going to amount to anything long-term, if even short-term.

But, if you're truly healthy and height/weight appropriate, cutting a hole in the ice of a frozen lake or river and then plunging in after sitting in a 130 degree banya for 20 or 30 minutes, will definitely clear your head. That's how we do it.

 

[bozeman]

I would suggest the OP look up some peer reviewed studies on cold plunge (purposeful exposure to cold water). There are some out there and yes, Dr Huberman has a few podcasts on it.

 

[Traveler]

I don’t ice bath just because I’m paying money for one. I do take a cold shower and it helps with joint and overall soreness

 

[joslinbd]

I have never done ice bath. However, there is supporting evidence that the extreme cold helps with muscle healing. I guess if the world's best athletes do it,then it must have some benefit.