Is it okay to take ice baths?

Question

after coming home from a sport practice is it unhealthy to take an ice bath?

Answer 1

It's better to take a warm bath to help muscles. An ice bath can cause shock and affect the lungs. Actually, a hot shower helps you feel cooler because your body is heated up, and then the room temperature air feels cooler.

Answer 2

It's really good if you're sore. it's soo cold, but it works!

Answer 3

I wouldnt think it to be dangerous ... Maybe will be cold lol but not dangerous .

As long as enough time from Practice to bath has passed to let Lactic acid in your body calm down i see no problems . Enjoy . xx .

Answer 4

Umm, Not unless ur like 60Plus

but if you do it too much im pretty sure it could be bad.

Answer 5

Take a hot one, then a cold one.

Answer 6

watch out because i have heard that if you get into it too quick you could end up developing a blood clot.

Answer 7

i heard its good for you so you wont be sore.

but i dnt know for sure.

Answer 8

well if your sore then yea. but not if your just hot i dont think its that healthy

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

help wit mine

Answer 9

i don't think it is unhealthy at all, im pretty sure that some athletes do that. I know that the cold from the bath helps to relax your muscles after a workout or in your case practice. Like if your get a black eye or an injury that causes some part of u to get swollen. The cold causes blood to rush to that area(if you are lighter skinned which i am not, you should be able to see this) and that helps you to heal faster. So if you can stand the heat, or rather cold it should be fine to take and ice bath, but you should look online for more infomation on it if you aren't sure

Answer 10

nope not at all but don't stay for 2 long

Answer 11

no i do it all the time and nothing bad happens.

Answer 12

be careful when you do not to hurt yourself.

but no its finee.

athletes do it all the timee.

Answer 13

An ice bath sounds terrible, and, well, it is. But the benefits of an ice bath, when taken cold enough and long enough, will save you from a lot of muscle soreness and potential injuries. Ice baths do sound incredible to bear and in most cases we can say that it is quite hard to take one, especially the first one. The problem is that the ice bath is very good if taken long and cold enough. It will aid in removing a lot of muscle soreness and even potential injuries. This is why some people do put them in their workout regime. Let us see how to properly take an ice bath.

Right after a hard race, run or even a long run just fill the bathtub with cold water. Next add 2 or more ice cube trays so that the water gets to 54 to 60 degrees F. After that you have to eat a post run or post workout snack and you can also add tea or coffee to the mix. That snack is highly important for recovery but tea and coffee are not although they do aid a lot in removing the immediate effect of the ice cold water that is to come. Now you can wrap a towel around your shoulders or put on a sweater and hat so that your upper body stays warm. Get in the icy water and stay there at least 10 minutes. Then you need to quickly get out, dry off and eat the post run or post workout meal you want to. A warm shower needs to be taken 30 to 60 minutes later. If you take it sooner the benefits obtained from taken an ice bath will be denied.

Keep in mind that filling the tub all the way to the top is not necessary. You just have to make sure that your lower body is completely soaked in. Sticking with taking ice baths is essential and the truth is that the worst ice bath is the first one you take. After that you will see that all is a lot easier. Pay attention to not make the water too cold as this can easily happen and translate in frostbite, this being the biggest problem that can appear with ice baths

Australian research is questioning the benefits of taking an ice bath after exercise but Paula Radcliffe, a British long distance runner, says that this is the secret of her success .

Many Physiotherapists recommend the bath to Sportsmen and women to prevent muscle soreness after exercise and to to speed up recovery. They claim that the icy cold helps shift lactic acid. The theory is that the icy cold causes the blood vessels to tighten, and drains the blood along with waste products such as lactic acid out of the legs.

But on the contrary, a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine now claims that the opposite may be true.

Ice baths have become a most fashionable way to recover after an intense game or race. Adherents of the therapy include Paula Radcliffe and the England rugby team.

Paula Radcliffe says when she emerges from the bath, her limbs fills up with fresh blood which invigorates the muscles with oxygen and helps the cells repair. Although physiotherapists who promote the bath have had little evidence to prove this.

Out of 40 exercising volunteers, those who took an icy plunge reported more pain after 24 hours than those who took a tepid bath, the Australian study found. This study challenges the use of ice-water immersion in athletes, the researchers write. Ice-water immersion offers no benefit for pain, swelling, isometric strength and function, and in fact may make more athletes sore the next day.

In fact it was found that there was no difference in physical pain measurements such as swelling or tenderness, and in fact those who had been in the ice reported more pain when going from a sitting to a standing position after 24 hours than those who had the tepid treatment.

The nature of this effect of ice is still unclear and needs further research.

John Brewer, Director of the Lucozade Sports Science Academy, said he did not find it surprising that

Answer 14

i took one after gymnastics nothing happend!!!...:)

Answer 15

No to much because i can get hypothermia

Answer 16

it is good ,but first take a warm water and later put it a little cooler so your skin is gonna be better