Ice baths: do they really boost workout recovery?
NCT ID NCT02506283
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether applying cold (cryotherapy) for 20 minutes before or after exercise helps healthy young adults recover faster and perform better. Researchers measured muscle soreness, perceived exertion, and jump height in 22 participants. The goal was to understand if cooling can reduce soreness and improve performance, but it was a small study focused on healthy people, not a treatment for a disease.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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22 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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May 2015
- Finished
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May 2019
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 30 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * only healthy young subjects 18-30 years * no musculoskeletal surgery in trunk and lower extremities * injury history in trunk and lower extremity for more than one year * subjects taking anticonceptive medication are allowed to participate Exclusion Criteria: * actual injuries or injuries for less than one year in trunk and /or lower extremities * injury history in trunk and lower extremity for more than one year with complaints * anxiety of cooling * subjects on medication * pace maker * cardiovascular disease * pregnancy * skeletal problems * appendectomy for less than two years * Morbus Raynaud syndrome
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland SUPSI
Landquart, Kanton Graubünden, 7302, Switzerland
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