Research summary · Recovery and rehabilitation
When cold-water immersion may help — and when it may not
An umbrella review examines short-term recovery outcomes and longer-term adaptation after post-exercise cold-water immersion.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analysis
- Journal
- Sports Medicine - Open
- Population / context
- Exercise recovery · Healthy adults and athletes
What the publication reports
Fifteen systematic reviews with meta-analysis covered 161 unique studies. Evidence suggested outcome- and timing-specific short-term changes, including less soreness, while regular use around resistance training may attenuate some strength or hypertrophy adaptations.
Limits and interpretation
Review quality was commonly low or critically low and certainty was low or very low. Protocols and exercise contexts varied, so the evidence does not support one routine immersion temperature, duration or schedule for everyone.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Strategic Application of Post-exercise Cold-Water Immersion to Enhance Performance Recovery and Adaptation: An Umbrella Review of 15 Published Systematic Reviews with Meta-analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42816732DOI: 10.1186/s40798-026-01116-8Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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