打完比賽後，在ICE BOX中泡十五分鐘……
Yen-Hsun Rendy Lu taking a well deserved ice bath after a great performance at 1st round US Open Tennis Championships ;-)
The theory behind ice bath is related the fact that intense exercise actually causes microtrauma, or tiny tears in muscle fibers. This muscle damage not only stimulates muscle cell activity and helps repair the damage and strengthen the muscles, but it is also linked with delayed muscle pain and soreness, which occurs between 12 and 24 hours after the match.
The ice bath is thought to:
- Constrict blood vessels and flush waste products, like lactic acid, out of the affected tissues
- Decrease metabolic activity and slow down physiological processes
- Reduce swelling and tissue breakdown
Then, with rewarming, the increased blood flow speeds circulation, and in turn, improves the healing process. Although there is no current protocol regarding the ideal time and temperature for cold immersion routines, most athletes or trainers who use them recommend a water temperature between 8 to 10 degrees Celsius and immersion times of 10 to 15 and sometimes up to 20 minutes.
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