The Effect of Contrast Therapy in Exercise Recovery: A Meta-Analytical Approach

Year 2024, , 686 - 700, 25.05.2024

Hyunseok Choi , Il-young Cho , Yong Hong

https://doi.org/10.33438/ijdshs.1442968

Abstract

Contrast therapy’s effects have varied across studies, necessitating an examination of its effect size. Therefore, this study aimed to validate the efficacy of contrast therapy on post-exercise recovery through a meta-analysis of exercise performance and physiological variables. Searches were conducted in electronic databases with the keywords "contrast therapy," "exercise performance," and "recovery”. Then articles were screened according to PRISMA guidelines. Fifteen articles were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated significant differences in sprint (g=0.3811, p<.05), muscle soreness (g=0.7192, p<.01), perceived fatigue (g=0.7384, p<.01), and blood CK (g=0.7043, p<.05), demonstrating the effectiveness of contrast therapy compared to passive recovery. However, no significant differences were found in jump (g=0.0866, p=.7083), flexibility (g=0.0585, p=.7531), thigh circumference (g=0.1636, p=.5654), and perception of recovery (g=0.3254, p=.0661), although there was a slight trend favoring contrast therapy over passive recovery. Given this, contrast therapy could be beneficial for sports that involve frequent sprints or repeated high-intensity exercise with short rest periods. Additionally, considering psychological aspects like muscle soreness and perceived fatigue for optimal performance, we believe contrast therapy positively affects post-exercise recovery compared to passive recovery. However, the quality of the studies was low, and there were not as many studies that included contrast therapy for each dependent variable as expected. As more studies are conducted in the future, it is expected that a more in-depth analysis can be conducted by improving the quality of the literature and reflecting various results.

Keywords

Contrast Therapy, Exercise Performance, Exercise Recovery, Meta-Analysis

References

• Argus, C. K., Broatch, J. R., Petersen, A. C., Polman, R., Bishop, D. J., & Halson, S. (2017). Cold-water immersion and contrast water therapy: no improvement of short-term recovery after resistance training. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 12(7), 886-892. [Pubmed]
• Ahokas, E. K., Ihalainen, J. K., Kyröläinen, H., & Mero, A. A. (2019). Effects of water immersion methods on postexercise recovery of physical and mental performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 33(6), 1488-1495. [Pubmed]
• Belza, B. (1994). The impact of fatigue on exercise performance. Arthritis & Rheumatism: Official Journal of the American College of Rheumatology, 7(4), 176-180. [Pubmed]
• Barnett, A. (2006). Using recovery modalities between training sessions in elite athletes: does it help?. Sports medicine, 36, 781-796. [Pubmed]
• Brancaccio, P., Maffulli, N., & Limongelli, F. M. (2007). Creatine kinase monitoring in sport medicine. British medical bulletin, 81(1), 209-230. [Pubmed]
• Bissas, A., & Havenetidis, K. (2008). The use of various strength-power tests as predictors of sprint running performance. Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 48(1), 49-54. [Pubmed]
• Bieuzen, F., Bleakley, C. M., & Costello, J. T. (2013). Contrast water therapy and exercise induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 8(4), e62356. [Pubmed]
• Brownsberger, J., Edwards, A., Crowther, R., & Cottrell, D. (2013). Impact of mental fatigue on self-paced exercise. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 34(12), 1029-1036. [Pubmed]
• Broatch, J. R., Petersen, A., & Bishop, D. J. (2014). Postexercise cold water immersion benefits are not greater than the placebo effect. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 46(11), 2139-2147. [Pubmed]
• Balduzzi, S., Rücker, G., & Schwarzer, G. (2019). How to perform a meta-analysis with R: a practical tutorial. BMJ Ment Health, 22(4), 153-160. [Pubmed]
• Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P., & Rothstein, H. R. (2021). Introduction to meta-analysis. John Wiley & Sons. [CrossRef]
• Bouguezzi, R., Sammoud, S., Markov, A., Negra, Y., & Chaabene, H. (2023). Why Flexibility Deserves to Be Further Considered as a Standard Component of Physical Fitness: A Narrative Review of Existing Insights from Static Stretching Study Interventions. Youth, 3(1), 146-156. [CrossRef]
• Cochrane, D. J. (2004). Alternating hot and cold water immersion for athlete recovery: a review. Physical therapy in sport, 5(1), 26-32. [CrossRef]
• Costello, J. T., Algar, L. A., & Donnelly, A. E. (2012). Effects of whole‐body cryotherapy(−110℃) on proprioception and indices of muscle damage. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 22(2), 190-198. [Pubmed]
• Crowther, F., Sealey, R., Crowe, M., Edwards, A., & Halson, S. (2017). Influence of recovery strategies upon performance and perceptions following fatiguing exercise: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 9, 1-9. [Pubmed]
• Crowther, F. A., Sealey, R. M., Crowe, M. J., Edwards, A. M., & Halson, S. L. (2019). Effects of various recovery strategies on repeated bouts of simulated intermittent activity. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 33(7), 1781-1794. [Pubmed]
• Dawson, B., Gow, S., Modra, S., Bishop, D., & Stewart, G. (2005). Effects of immediate post-game recovery procedures on muscle soreness, power, and flexibility levels over the next 48 hours. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 8(2), 210-221. [Pubmed]
• De Nardi, M., La Torre, A., Barassi, A., Ricci, C., & Banfi, G. (2011). Effects of cold-water immersion and contrast-water therapy after training in young soccer players. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 51(4), 609-15. [Pubmed]
• Ehlers, G. G., Ball, T. E., & Liston, L. (2002). Creatine kinase levels are elevated during 2-a-day practices in collegiate football players. Journal of Athletic Training, 37(2), 151. [Pubmed]
• Elias, G. P., Varley, M. C., Wyckelsma, V. L., McKenna, M. J., Minahan, C. L., & Aughey, R. J. (2012). Effects of water immersion on posttraining recovery in Australian footballers. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 7(4), 357-366. [Pubmed]
• Elias, G. P., Wyckelsma, V. L., Varley, M. C., McKenna, M. J., & Aughey, R. J. (2013). Effectiveness of water immersion on postmatch recovery in elite professional footballers. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 8(3), 243-253. [Pubmed]
• French, D. N., Thompson, K. G., Garland, S. W., Barnes, C. A., Portas, M. D., Hood, P. E., & Wilkes, G. (2008). The effects of contrast bathing and compression therapy on muscular performance. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 40(7), 1297-1306. [Pubmed]
• Gleim, G. W., & McHugh, M. P. (1997). Flexibility and its effects on sports injury and performance. Sports medicine, 24, 289-299. [Pubmed]
• Gorman, G. S., Elson, J. L., Newman, J., Payne, B., McFarland, R., Newton, J. L., & Turnbull, D. M. (2015). Perceived fatigue is highly prevalent and debilitating in patients with mitochondrial disease. Neuromuscular Disorders, 25(7), 563-566. [Pubmed]
• Howatson, G., & Van Someren, K. A. (2008). The prevention and treatment of exercise-induced muscle damage. Sports medicine, 38, 483-503. [Pubmed]
• Hing, W. A., White, S. G., Bouaaphone, A., & Lee, P. (2008). Contrast therapy—A systematic review. Physical Therapy in Sport, 9(3), 148-161. [Pubmed]
• Higgins, T. R., Climstein, M., & Cameron, M. (2013). Evaluation of hydrotherapy, using passive tests and power tests, for recovery across a cyclic week of competitive rugby union. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 27(4), 954-965. [Pubmed]
• Ingram, J., Dawson, B., Goodman, C., Wallman, K., & Beilby, J. (2009). Effect of water immersion methods on post-exercise recovery from simulated team sport exercise. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 12(3), 417-421. [Pubmed]
• Jakeman, J. R., Macrae, R., & Eston, R. (2009). A single 10-min bout of cold-water immersion therapy after strenuous plyometric exercise has no beneficial effect on recovery from the symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. Ergonomics, 52(4), 456-460. [Pubmed]
• Juliff, L. E., Halson, S. L., Bonetti, D. L., Versey, N. G., Driller, M. W., & Peiffer, J. J. (2014). Influence of contrast shower and water immersion on recovery in elite netballers. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 28(8), 2353-2358. [Pubmed]
• Kinugasa, T., & Kilding, A. E. (2009). A comparison of post-match recovery strategies in youth soccer players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(5), 1402-1407. [Pubmed]
• Kim, J. Y., Lee, C. H., Park, K. H., & Lee, J. H. (2010). Effect of Protein supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage. Korean J Sport Sci, 21, 1298-314. [CrossRef]
• Kovacs, M. S., & Baker, L. B. (2014). Recovery interventions and strategies for improved tennis performance. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(Suppl 1), i18-i21. [Pubmed]
• Keane, K. M., Salicki, R., Goodall, S., Thomas, K., & Howatson, G. (2015). Muscle damage response in female collegiate athletes after repeated sprint activity. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(10), 2802-2807. [Pubmed]
• Lehmann, J. F., Warren, C. G., & Scham, S. M. (1974). Therapeutic heat and cold. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®, 99, 207-245. [Pubmed]
• Loch, F., Hof zum Berge, A., Ferrauti, A., Meyer, T., Pfeiffer, M., & Kellmann, M. (2020). Acute effects of mental recovery strategies after a mentally fatiguing task. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 558856. [Pubmed]
• Myrer, J. W., Draper, D. O., & Durrant, E. (1994). Contrast therapy and intramuscular temperature in the human leg. Journal of Athletic Training, 29(4), 318. [Pubmed]
• Meeusen, R., Duclos, M., Gleeson, M., Rietjens, G., Steinacker, J., & Urhausen, A. (2006). Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the overtraining syndrome. European Journal of Sport Science, 6(1), 1-14. [CrossRef]
• Mujika, I., Halson, S., Burke, L. M., Balagué, G., & Farrow, D. (2018). An integrated, multifactorial approach to periodization for optimal performance in individual and team sports. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 13(5), 538-561. [Pubmed]
• Prentice, W. E. (1999). Therapeutic modalities in sports medicine. WCB/McGraw-Hill.
• Read, M. M., & Cisar, C. (2001). The influence of varied rest interval lengths on depth jump performance. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 15(3), 279-283. [Pubmed]
• Reilly, T., & Ekblom, B. (2005). The use of recovery methods post‐exercise. Journal of Sports Sciences, 23(6), 619-627. [Pubmed]
• Simjanovic, M., Hooper, S., Leveritt, M., Kellmann, M., & Rynne, S. (2009). The use and perceived effectiveness of recovery modalities and monitoring techniques in elite sport. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 12, S22. [CrossRef]
• Sayers, M. G., Calder, A. M., & Sanders, J. G. (2011). Effect of whole-body contrast-water therapy on recovery from intense exercise of short duration. European Journal of Sport Science, 11(4), 293-302. [CrossRef]
• Shin, W. J. (2015). An introduction of the systematic review and meta-analysis. Hanyang Medical Reviews, 35(1), 9-17. [CrossRef]
• Turner, A. N., & Stewart, P. F. (2013). Repeat sprint ability. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 35(1), 37-41. [CrossRef]
• Thorpe, R. T. (2021). Post-exercise recovery: Cooling and heating, a periodized approach. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 3, 707503. [Pubmed]
• Vaile, J. M., Gill, N. D., & Blazevich, A. J. (2007). The effect of contrast water therapy on symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 21(3), 697-702. [Pubmed]
• Vaile, J., Halson, S., Gill, N., & Dawson, B. (2008). Effect of hydrotherapy on the signs and symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness. European journal of applied physiology, 102, 447-455. [Pubmed]
• Van der Does, H. T. D., Brink, M. S., Otter, R. T. A., Visscher, C., & Lemmink, K. A. P. M. (2017). Injury risk is increased by changes in perceived recovery of team sport players. Clinical journal of sport medicine, 27(1), 46-51. [Pubmed]
• Young, W., Cormack, S., & Crichton, M. (2011). Which jump variables should be used to assess explosive leg muscle function?. International journal of sports physiology and performance, 6(1), 51-57. [Pubmed]