Cold application (cryotherapy) is an established component in the treatment by rest, ice, compression, elevation (RICE) for acute sports injuries with decreasing local inflammatory reactions. This treatment has been also employed with identical therapeutic benefits to exercise-induced damage following vigorous exercise among athletes. Recently, cold application has been regularly used with even less muscular damage for facilitation of recovery from physical and mental fatigue and as a preventive against the muscular injury following exercise. Ten male subjects participated in resistance training comprising five sets of 8-wrist curl exercises at a workload of 8-repetition maximum, three times a week for six-weeks. Half of the subjects immersed their experimental forearm in cold water (10±1℃) for 20 minutes after the end of the wrist curl exercises (the cold group), while the remaining five served as controls (the control group). Ultrasonography-evaluated thickness of forearm flexor muscles and circumference of the experimental extremity significantly (p<0.05) increased after the training period in both groups. However, degree of these increases was significantly (p<0.05) less in the cold group as compared with that in the control group. Diameter of ultrasonography-evaluated brachial artery failed to increase in the cold group despite a significant increase (p<0.05) of that in the control group after training. Maximal strength and muscular endurance with rhythmic handgrips tended to increase in both groups after the training period, while each increase was less in the cold group as compared with that in the control group. It is considered that training-induced molecular and humoral adjustments, including muscle hyperthermia, are physiologial, transient, and essential for training effects (myofiber regeneration, muscle hypertrophy and improved blood supply). Cooling generally might attenuate these temperature-dependent processes. This seems disadvantageous for training, in contrast to the beneficial combination of rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) in the treatment of macroscopic musculo-tendinous damage.

DESCENTE SPORTS SCIENCE Vol.26/THE DESCENTE AND ISHIMOTO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FOR THE PROMOTION SPORTS SCIENCE