How good are Ice Baths?!?

Question

We just started Two-A-Days for football and I still lift during football and I'm sore 24/7. I've heard that "Ice Baths" are the thing to do. I always see athletes on TV taking them after workouts and I was wondering: How good are they for you? What does it do to your body (like to your muscle cells and other things of that nature?) Why does it make your body feel so awesome? How do you do it? How long should you do it? And how often should you do it?

Answer 1

Icing decreases swelling, especially around joints.  It doesn't "make your body feel so awesome"; it's actually quite uncomfortable however it's worth it for pain relief.

Do not embark on ice baths without input from a trainer.  Icing can make things much worse if done incorrectly or for the wrong reasons.

Answer 2

Just Ice baths reduce swelling in your muscles.

One thing I used to always do after hard practices is a hot/cold baths.

Go into the ice bath for 60 sec followed by hot/warm bath for 60 sec.  Repeat 5 times or so and always end with the cold.

This process basically gets blood moving into your muscles from the contracting and expanding from the hot/cold.

The only precaution I would give you is that the next day your legs may be too relaxed from your muscles being too loose.  Two days after I would always feel great.