Have you heard of recovery showers? Apparently, there's a better way to rinse off after an intense workout—one that boosts recovery. Best part? It's not an ice bath.
The
concept of a "recovery shower" is alternating temperatures from hot to
cold. Is this an effective way to stimulate circulation and aid in
muscular recovery? "There is no yes or no answer to this question," said
Dr. Kristin Maynes, PT, DPT. "We all have to remember that every
person's body is different and may react to certain therapies
differently." That said, she totally recommends recovery showers.
"Yes,
it can be an effective aid to muscle or injury recovery; however only
for someone without an acute injury," she told POPSUGAR. So as this is a
great general method for recovery, keep in mind that if you're dealing
with an injury, you'll need to discuss this with your own physical
therapist. "If there is no injury, it [can] speed up the recovery
process, keep the body mobile, and prevent stiffness." Here's how the
recovery shower works:
First, Cold
"After a workout, you want to start off with cold—an ice bath or
cold shower—to aid in the decrease in inflammation of muscles, joints,
and tendons," said Dr. Maynes. Exercise inflames these parts of your
body, and as she put it, "it's unhealthy to be in an inflamed state for
prolonged periods of time."
The cold water locally decreases blood flow, reducing inflammation, stiffening the muscles and joints — thus decreasing pain (just
like icing an injury). This is "very important for immediate recovery
and works well in the acute stages of injury or right after a workout,"
she said. "It is like a 'pause' button in the healing process to
decrease the body's quick response to injury, which can be very painful
at times."
Then Hot
Then switch to hot. "This will improve
muscle and joint recovery to flush out all the build up of inflammatory
cells, dead cells, scar tissue build up, etc. to improve the health of
the bones." Going from cold to hot also helps with potential stiffness.
You know how you sometimes can't walk after leg day? Try a cold-to-hot
shower. "This can also aid in the improvement of mobility of body
structures so stiffness does not set in," she said. "This is very good
to use in the subacute and chronic stages of an injury."
That
said, if you're injured, she stressed that this is not the way to
recover. "You do not want to use heat in the first few days up to a week
of an injury," so avoid this kind of recovery shower.
The Best Workout Recovery?
Post-workout
recovery is essential, and it varies for everyone. "If you are active
in aiding your recovery after an intense workout [with] stretching, foam
rolling, yoga, etc., then adding an alternating hot shower or an ice
bath is going to help," said Dr. Maynes. "Find out what works best for
your body whether it be a hot shower, ice bath, or both; stick to it and
it will help you."
But be patient! "Nothing works in a day; you have to do it more than once to see an effect."
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