Ice Baths for Inflammation: Reducing Pain & Swelling

You may be a professional athlete who jumps into an ice bath immediately after a game or a fitness buff who uses ice baths for post-workout recovery. Although the practice has become more prevalent in recent years, especially among celebrities, ice baths for inflammation are nothing new. People have been using cold-water immersion for centuries to reduce inflammation, soothe sore muscles, and promote better sleep. 

What is an Ice Bath?

An ice bath is simply a very cold bath. Also known as a cold plunge or cold-water immersion, it involves taking a bath in ice-cold water after a physical activity. However, it may not sound like fun to willingly submerge yourself in a tub full of ice, but taking the plunge has extraordinary benefits, including being a common treatment of sports and orthopedic injuries. 

Why Take Ice Baths for Inflammation

Inflammation is your body’s immune system’s response to pain, infection, or damage. It helps to protect the body part from being attacked by bacteria or other contaminants, allowing the damaged tissue and bones to heal fully. If you are an athlete or often engage in strenuous exercise, you will often experience acute inflammation. 

Taking ice baths for inflammation can aid in relieving such pain and inflammation. Your blood vessels naturally constrict when the body is exposed to cold temperatures, reducing blood flow to your muscles. This reduces the volume of immune cells that can reach those areas, minimizing muscular swelling or inflammation. In general, ice baths are beneficial to your body in several ways:

• Reduces Inflammation and Swelling: The low temperatures of a cold bath narrow your blood vessels, decreasing blood flow to your muscles and reducing inflammation and swelling. A 5-minute ice-cold bath lowers post-exercise inflammation better than compression garments like compression socks. 
• Relieves Sore Muscles: With less inflammation and slower never signaling, ice baths help reduce muscle pain. The chilly cold temperatures also lower your perception of pain and the amount of soreness you feel. 
• Aids with Exercise Recovery: Dilating your blood vessels after an ice bath increases circulation. Nutrient-rich blood flow to the muscles helps remove metabolic waste that builds up during exercise. 
• Supports Immunity: Combining cold-water immersion with other therapies like meditation and deep breathing can reduce symptoms of bacterial infection. 
• Improves Mental Health: Ice baths can improve mental health and quality of life by relieving pain and other stressors. The low temperatures trigger the nervous system, enhancing mood and the ability to adapt to stress over time.  

How to Take an Ice Bath?

There are no set guidelines or standards for taking ice baths for inflammation. Factors such as the best water temperature, the time to sit in an ice bath, and how often to take one are usually a matter of personal preference. This means you have plenty of options for taking an ice bath. You could go to a gym with a cold-water pool, use your regular bathtub at home, or buy an at-home ice bath with temperature controls.

You only need some ice cubes, a thermometer, and a timer to get started. Unlike whole-body cryotherapy, which involves exposing your body to very low temperatures, cold births involve immersing your body in ice-cold water for about 5 to 10 minutes to help your body calm down and heal. Here is a quick guide to making an ice bath for inflammation at home: 

• Fill a Tub:  Fill your tub halfway with cold water and put your thermometer inside.
• Add Ice: Add some ice cubes gradually to the water. 
• Get in the Tub: Wear comfortable clothes, such as a T-shirt and shorts, and slowly step into the tub when the water reaches 10°C to 15°C (50°F to 59°F).
• Set a Timer. Depending on what feels right for your body, set your alarm for 1 to 3 minutes or less. 
• Leave the Tub. After your bath, carefully get out of the tub and dry off before changing clothes.

As you become more accustomed to ice baths, you can slowly build up a tolerance to cold water exposure. You can gradually lower the temperatures of your baths until you reach a point that works best for you. Another way is to ease into the ice by starting with lower-body soaks before working your way up to full-body soaks. This approach ensures that the icy water is not as shocking to your body system.

How Often Should You Take Ice Baths?

The frequency of ice baths for inflammation is not fixed. For most athletes, getting an ice bath immediately after a workout helps reduce DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). Previous studies have shown that ice baths are most effective up to 24 hours after exercise. It also helps to end every shower with cold water before gradually moving to regular ice baths as needed, such as when having muscle aches or pains. 

Any Risks Associated with Ice Baths for Inflammation?

Despite having many benefits, ice baths also carry some risks. You can develop immersion hypothermia (a dangerous drop in body temperature) when submerging in water colder than 59 degrees. Since water moves heat away from the body 25 times faster than air, hypothermia may occur more quickly underwater. 

Caution is also needed for people with certain health conditions, such as diabetes or open wounds and incisions. These conditions can affect the body's ability to sense tissue damage, which can occur when submerged in extremely cold water for too long. If this is your first ice bath, you should also take precautions and check in with your doctor to see whether you have any underlying conditions. 

Take Your First Cold Plunge 

An ice bath for inflammation has many benefits, including reducing pain and soreness, especially after a workout. Although it shouldn’t be used as a replacement for medical care, cold therapy can effectively ease aches and pains. If you are unsure if this is the right path, talk to your healthcare provider about any risks and underlying conditions. In any case, keep your ice baths short and sweet. Just a dip, and that’s it.