Effect of repeated post-resistance exercise cold or hot water immersion on in-season inflammatory responses in academy rugby players: a randomised controlled cross-over design

Horgan, Barry G.; West, Nicholas P.; Tee, Nicolin; Halson, Shona L.; Drinkwater, Eric J.; Chapman, Dale W.; Haff, G. Gregory

Abstract

Purpose: Uncertainty exists if post-resistance exercise hydrotherapy attenuates chronic inflammatory and hormone responses. The effects of repeated post-resistance exercise water immersion on inflammatory and hormone responses in athletes were investigated. Methods: Male, academy Super Rugby players (n = 18, 19.9 ± 1.5 y, 1.85 ± 0.06 m, 98.3 ± 10.7 kg) participated in a 12-week programme divided into 3 × 4-week blocks of post-resistance exercise water immersion (either, no immersion control [CON]; cold [CWI]; or hot [HWI] water immersion), utilising a randomised cross-over pre-post design. Fasted, morning blood measures were collected prior to commencement of first intervention block, and every fourth week thereafter. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyse main (treatment, time) and interaction effects. Results: Repeated CWI (p = 0.025, g = 0.05) and HWI (p < 0.001, g = 0.62) reduced creatine kinase (CK), compared to CON. HWI decreased (p = 0.013, g = 0.59) interleukin (IL)-1ra, compared to CON. HWI increased (p < 0.001–0.026, g = 0.06–0.17) growth factors (PDGF-BB, IGF-1), compared to CON and CWI. CWI increased (p = 0.004, g = 0.46) heat shock protein-72 (HSP-72), compared to HWI. Conclusion: Post-resistance exercise CWI or HWI resulted in trivial and moderate reductions in CK, respectively, which may be partly due to hydrostatic effects of water immersion. Post-resistance exercise HWI moderately decreased IL-1ra, which may be associated with post-resistance exercise skeletal muscle inflammation influencing chronic resistance exercise adaptive responses. Following post-resistance exercise water immersion, CWI increased HSP-72 suggesting a thermoregulatory response indicating improved adaptive inflammatory responses to temperature changes, while HWI increased growth factors (PDGF-BB, IGF-1) indicating different systematic signalling pathway activation. Our data supports the continued use of post-resistance exercise water immersion recovery strategies of any temperature during in-season competition phases for improved inflammatory adaptive responses in athletes.

Citation

Horgan, B. G., West, N. P., Tee, N., Halson, S. L., Drinkwater, E. J., Chapman, D. W., & Haff, G. G. (2024). Effect of repeated post-resistance exercise cold or hot water immersion on in-season inflammatory responses in academy rugby players: a randomised controlled cross-over design. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 124(9), 2615-2628. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-024-05424-3

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 25, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Apr 13, 2024
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 5, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 5, 2024
• Journal: European Journal of Applied Physiology
• Print ISSN: 1439-6319
• Electronic ISSN: 1439-6327
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 124
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 2615-2628
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-024-05424-3
• Keywords: Hydrotherapy, Recovery, Inflammation, Team sports, Strength training