Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2021, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (23): 3609-3613.doi: 10.12307/2021.027

    Next Articles

Cold therapy promotes self-limited recovery of delayed-onset muscle soreness

Jiang Xiaoyan1, Zhu Haifei2, Lin Haiqi3, Lin Wentao4   

  1. 1School of Physical Education, Guangdong Maoming Preschool Teachers College, Maoming 525000, Guangdong Province, China; 2Maoming Vocational and Technical College, Maoming 525000, Guangdong Province, China; 3School of Physical Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong Province, China; 4Institute of Integrated Sports and Medicine, Guangzhou Sport University
  • Received:2019-12-23 Revised:2019-12-28 Accepted:2020-07-26 Online:2021-08-18 Published:2021-01-26
  • Contact: Lin Wentao, Professor, Institute of Integrated Sports and Medicine, Guangzhou Sport University, Guangzhou 510500, Guangdong Province, China
  • About author:Jiang Xiaoyan, Master, Lecturer, School of Physical Education, Guangdong Maoming Preschool Teachers College, Maoming 525000, Guangdong Province, China
  • Supported by:
    Humanities and Social Science Research Youth Fund Project, Ministry of Education, No. 20YJCZH090 (to LHQ); Guangdong Provincial Thirteenth Five-year Plan for Philosophy and Social Sciences, No. GD19YTY01 (to LHQ); Guangzhou Municipal Philosophy and Social Science Plan in 2020, No. 2020GZGJ37 (to LHQ)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: High-intensity eccentric exercise can induce delayed-onset muscle soreness in skeletal muscles. Cold therapy is a non-drug treatment that can weaken blood lactic acid, relieve fatigue, reduce muscle inflammation, promote skeletal muscle regeneration and speed up recovery time after exercise. Cold therapy is a commonly used physical therapy to prevent and treat delayed-onset muscle soreness, but it is unclear how the body makes adaptive adjustment to achieve self-limited recovery under low temperature stress. 
OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of cold therapy on the self-limited recovery of delayed-onset muscle soreness.
METHODS: Non-long-term (n=24) and long-term exercise (n=24) male high school students acted as the subjects, and were randomized into non-long-term exercise control group, non-long-term exercise + ice massage group, non-long-term exercise + immersion in cold water group, as well as long-term exercise control group, long-term exercise + ice massage group, long-term exercise + immersion in cold water group, with 8 students in each group. All subjects performed in-situ vertical jump to simulate the high-intensity eccentric exercise, followed by no intervention, ice massage, and immersion in cold water, respectively. The trial was approved by the Ethic Committee of the School of Physical Education, Guangdong Maoming Preschool Teachers College on March 1, 2019, with an approval No. GPNCM-IACUC-2019-S03001.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: For non-long-term exercisers, cold therapy could effectively eliminate blood lactic acid after exercise (P < 0.05), significantly reduce the surface temperature of the lower limbs at 30 minutes after exercise (P < 0.05), and significantly decrease subjective muscle pain within 24-96 hours after exercise (P < 0.05). For long-term exercisers, cold therapy had no effect on blood lactic acid level and muscle pain level (P > 0.05). Therefore, cold therapy can resist and delay the exercise fatigue phenomenon of non-long-term exercise adolescents after one-time high-intensity exercise, promote the self-limited recovery of the body, and reduce the risk of exercise. 

Key words: cold therapy, delayed-onset muscle soreness, self-limited disease, long-term exercise, middle school students, health promotion, biological rhythm, fatigue recovery

CLC Number: