Harness The Healing Power Of Water
Taking a post-workout plunge in an ice bath has been a common practice among athletes for decades now. Sometimes called cold water immersion or cryotherapy, this treatment can help people recover faster and reduce muscle pain and soreness resulting from intense workouts or competitive sports events.
Cold water immersion following a hard workout can provide temporary pain relief and may also help aid muscle recovery by reducing swelling and the occurrence of delayed onset muscle soreness. Some athletes even find alternating cold water immersion with hot sauna sessions, known as contrast therapy, not only helps them feel better after intense exercise but also helps speed injury recovery.
Conversely, taking hot baths after hard exercise may hinder exercise recovery. Totally passive recovery (complete rest) is not an effective way to recover. Active recovery is far more beneficial, including ice baths for the entire body. Let's examine further how ice baths may prove helpful for injury recovery.
The Benefits Of Ice Bath For Injury Recovery
Cold therapy is no longer reserved just for professional athletes. Scientific evidence is revealing the ways cold therapy methods can help with injury recovery, possibly even preventing a trip to the ER when you're seeking ways to be in less pain.
How does cold therapy work? Cold causes constriction of blood vessels, which reduces swelling that causes pain. Further, cold causes stimulation of the lymphatic system, flushing out waste products and preventing tissue breakdown. This is particularly good after an injury when the body is rapidly working to replace damaged cells with new ones.
As the body starts to warm up afterward, blood flow increases, helping boost the body’s natural healing powers by delivering oxygenated blood and carrying away toxins near injured areas. This is the same principle behind applying an ice pack to an injured area of the body. But instead, an ice bath enables you to treat your whole body in one submersion!
Ice bath for foot pain
A foot soak in ice water is a common treatment for foot pain. In order to alleviate pain, edema, and inflammation, this treatment entails soaking one's feet in ice water or cold water that has been combined with ice for a set amount of time. Because of the chilly temperature of the water, the blood vessels in your foot will constrict, which will reduce the amount of blood that flows to the area that is injured. The alleviation of pain, reduction of inflammation, and acceleration of the healing process can all result from this. It is also believed that ice baths can help alleviate muscle soreness and stiffness, which is a common symptom that occurs in conjunction with foot discomfort.
How long to ice bath feet?
The average time that your feet should spend in an ice bath is between 15-20 minutes. On the other hand, this can change depending on the intensity of the foot discomfort and an individual's sensitivity to cold. It is essential to avoid keeping one's feet submerged in ice water for an extended period of time, as doing so can lead to frostbite and other forms of tissue damage.
Cold Water Immersion Benefits
Why choose cold water immersion for injury recovery? For starters, ice baths have long been used by athletes as a way to speed injury recovery—it's not a new concept. If the pros are doing it, there's probably a good reason!
High-level sports trainers have known for a long time about the benefits of ice bath immersion for recovery.
Reduce Swelling
Reducing swelling is a significant factor for recovering post-injury. Swelling is one of the main causes of pain, so finding ways to quickly reduce swelling can provide immediate pain relief.
Faster Recovery
Many athletes and trainers swear by ice bath immersion, claiming significant gains in recovery and performance as a result of using them. The science is sound—cold therapy can help carry toxins away and stimulate better blood circulation to injured areas, speeding recovery compared with passive recovery methods.
Home Ice Bath Treatments
Many athletes, both professionals and amateurs, have avoided an ER visit by trying ice bath therapy first after an injury. Of course, being able to do this at home is ideal. Preferably, your first ice bath experience will be to prevent injury rather than treat it, which is easier if you have a cold therapy tub from RENU at home. If you haven't put a cold tub in your home yet, here are some ways to still get some of the benefits.
Ice Water In A Bucket
If your injury is at the extremities, such as an ankle or foot, you might be able to get localized pain relief by simply using a bucket of ice water. Fill a 5-gallon bucket halfway, dump the ice into it, and submerge the affected area for 10 minutes.
Ice Cubes In A Regular Bathtub
If you're injured on a larger part of your body, full immersion in an ice bath can provide temporary relief. Unless you're Wim Hof, though, you'll probably want to start slow. Begin by filling the tub with cool water and getting in before you add ice. Next, slowly add in ice to drop the water temp to a level you can tolerate.
Be sure to keep a timer nearby. You should never spend more than ten minutes in the ice bath. If you are only submerged from the waist down, you can boost your cold tolerance by wearing a fleece or other warm top on your upper torso to keep the shivering to a minimum.
When it’s time to get out of your ice bath tub, your first instinct may be to jump into a piping-hot shower, but you should resist this urge because healing occurs best when your body temperature rises naturally. If you still struggle with letting your body come up in temperature on its own, you can try having a hot drink or dunking hands and feet into mildly warm water.
If an ice bath still doesn't deliver the relief you need after an injury, you should immediately seek medical advice to get to the root of the problem to prevent further damage.
Where To Get A Tub Made For Ice Baths
When searching for your cold tank, finding one that has a minimal footprint and weight will give you the most flexibility for installing at home. Designed in Southern California, RENU cold immersion tubs have a small footprint and are lightweight, enabling you to install one almost anywhere. Even better, our cold tanks only need a standard 110-volt outlet, so you don't need to install any special electrical equipment! Browse our cold tub design options today and find the perfect match for your home décor.
Why Choose A RENU Cold Water Therapy Tub?
RENU cold plunge tubs are handmade in the USA using exceptional materials. That's how we can provide the best warranty coverage on the market! We stop at nothing to ensure 100% customer satisfaction for every cold tub sold.
When you care about aesthetics in your home, RENU delivers. Our Cold Stoic TM and Siberian Cold Plunge TM immersion therapy tubs feature world-class designs that enhance the beauty of your home while making it more convenient to take an ice bath.
