The Effect of Cold Water Immersion on Recovery and Performance in NCAA Division I Athletes

NCT06565468 | Completed FDA Device

• 1 other identifier: UCLACWI
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 75
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In this study, the investigators will examine the effect of cold-water immersion (CWI) on objective and subjective recovery metrics, as well as simple performance metrics, in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I Men's and Women's Volleyball players, Men's Football players, and Men's and Women's Cross Country runners. This is a cohort cross-over study that will take place over the course of four weeks during an intensive training cycle. Participants will wear a WHOOP monitoring device on their wrists at all times during the study period. The two-week intervention will consist of ten minutes of CWI to take place within one hour of the completion of the last training session of the day. The target water temperature will be 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and each participant will complete five sessions of CWI per week (for a total of ten sessions over the two-week intervention phase). Objective recovery measures will include heart rate variability, resting heart rate, total sleep time, slow wave sleep time, sleep consistency, blood oxygenation, and nocturnal skin temperature, all of which will be collected continuously by the WHOOP monitoring device. Subjective recovery measures will include three surveys to be completed daily, including the Likert Scale of Muscle Soreness, the Total Quality Recovery Scale, and the Single-Item Sleep Questionnaire. Performance measures will include a counter-movement jump to be completed two times per week, an isometric mid-thigh pull to be completed once per week, and a drop jump to be completed once per week. These outcome measures will similarly be collected during the two-week control period, during which participants will not have access to CWI following training sessions.

Conditions

Recovery, Physiological; Athletic Performance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Heart-rate variability

  As measured by WHOOP 4.0 wrist device

  Four week time period

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Resting heart rate

  Four week time period

• Total Sleep Time

  Four week time period

• Slow Wave Sleep Time

  Four week time period

• Sleep Consistency

  Four week time period

• Blood Oxygenation

  Four week time period

Study Arms (2)

Cold water immersion phase.

EXPERIMENTAL

Device: Cold water immersion pool.

Control phase.

NO INTERVENTION

Interventions

Cold water immersion pool. DEVICE

Participants will complete a session of cold-water immersion within one hour of finishing the last training session of the day. Cold water immersion will consist of ten minutes of submersion to the neck in a cold-water tub with a target temperature of 55 degrees Fahrenheit (daily temperatures will be recorded at the time of each session). The acceptable range for the cold water immersion protocol will be from 53-57 degrees Fahrenheit. The immersion process will not be completed if the temperature of the water is outside of this range. Participants will complete five sessions per week, with a total of 10 sessions to be completed over the 14-day intervention.

Cold water immersion phase.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Male and female student-athletes aged 18 years or older
• Currently enrolled at UCLA and participating in the following National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Varsity sports: Men's and Women's Volleyball, Football, Men's and Women's Cross Country.

You may not qualify if:

• Unable to complete the required physical testing due to injury or other impairment.
• Age less than 18 years old at time of enrollemnt
• Open wounds or broken skin
• History of hypersensitivity to cold, including but not limited to Raynaud's phenomenon, cold urticaria, cryoglobulinemia, and paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria
• Under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Whoop Inc.: collaborator
• University of California, Los Angeles: lead

Study Sites (1)

UCLA Orthopedics

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

Location

Related Publications (17)

• Ravier G, Marcel-Millet P, Fostel C, Baradat E. Post-Exercise Cold- and Contrasting-Water Immersion Effects on Heart Rate Variability Recovery in International Handball Female Players. J Hum Kinet. 2022 Feb 10;81:109-122. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2022-0010. eCollection 2022 Jan.

  PMID: 35291638 BACKGROUND

• Laborde S, Wanders J, Mosley E, Javelle F. Influence of physical post-exercise recovery techniques on vagally-mediated heart rate variability: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging. 2024 Jan;44(1):14-35. doi: 10.1111/cpf.12855. Epub 2023 Oct 2.

  PMID: 37754676 BACKGROUND

• Moore E, Fuller JT, Buckley JD, Saunders S, Halson SL, Broatch JR, Bellenger CR. Impact of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Passive Recovery Following a Single Bout of Strenuous Exercise on Athletic Performance in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Meta-regression. Sports Med. 2022 Jul;52(7):1667-1688. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01644-9. Epub 2022 Feb 14.

  PMID: 35157264 BACKGROUND

• Poignard M, Guilhem G, Jubeau M, Martin E, Giol T, Montalvan B, Bieuzen F. Cold-water immersion and whole-body cryotherapy attenuate muscle soreness during 3 days of match-like tennis protocol. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2023 Sep;123(9):1895-1909. doi: 10.1007/s00421-023-05190-8. Epub 2023 Apr 23.

  PMID: 37088821 BACKGROUND

• Seco-Calvo J, Mielgo-Ayuso J, Calvo-Lobo C, Cordova A. Cold Water Immersion as a Strategy for Muscle Recovery in Professional Basketball Players During the Competitive Season. J Sport Rehabil. 2020 Mar 1;29(3):301-309. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2018-0301.

  PMID: 30676280 BACKGROUND

• Roberts LA, Raastad T, Markworth JF, Figueiredo VC, Egner IM, Shield A, Cameron-Smith D, Coombes JS, Peake JM. Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training. J Physiol. 2015 Sep 15;593(18):4285-301. doi: 10.1113/JP270570. Epub 2015 Aug 13.

  PMID: 26174323 BACKGROUND

• Grgic J. Effects of post-exercise cold-water immersion on resistance training-induced gains in muscular strength: a meta-analysis. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Mar;23(3):372-380. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2033851. Epub 2022 Feb 20.

  PMID: 35068365 BACKGROUND

• Haq A, Ribbans WJ, Hohenauer E, Baross AW. The Comparative Effect of Different Timings of Whole Body Cryotherapy Treatment With Cold Water Immersion for Post-Exercise Recovery. Front Sports Act Living. 2022 Jul 6;4:940516. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.940516. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35873209 BACKGROUND

• Moore E, Fuller JT, Bellenger CR, Saunders S, Halson SL, Broatch JR, Buckley JD. Effects of Cold-Water Immersion Compared with Other Recovery Modalities on Athletic Performance Following Acute Strenuous Exercise in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression. Sports Med. 2023 Mar;53(3):687-705. doi: 10.1007/s40279-022-01800-1. Epub 2022 Dec 17.

  PMID: 36527593 BACKGROUND

• Garcia CA, da Mota GR, Marocolo M. Cold Water Immersion is Acutely Detrimental but Increases Performance Post-12 h in Rugby Players. Int J Sports Med. 2016 Jul;37(8):619-24. doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1565200. Epub 2016 May 2.

  PMID: 27136509 BACKGROUND

• Al Haddad H, Parouty J, Buchheit M. Effect of daily cold water immersion on heart rate variability and subjective ratings of well-being in highly trained swimmers. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2012 Mar;7(1):33-8. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.7.1.33. Epub 2011 Aug 30.

  PMID: 21941017 BACKGROUND

• Anicic Z, Janicijevic D, Knezevic OM, Garcia-Ramos A, Petrovic MR, Cabarkapa D, Mirkov DM. Assessment of Countermovement Jump: What Should We Report? Life (Basel). 2023 Jan 9;13(1):190. doi: 10.3390/life13010190.

  PMID: 36676138 BACKGROUND

• Grgic J, Scapec B, Mikulic P, Pedisic Z. Test-retest reliability of isometric mid-thigh pull maximum strength assessment: a systematic review. Biol Sport. 2022 Mar;39(2):407-414. doi: 10.5114/biolsport.2022.106149. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

  PMID: 35309521 BACKGROUND

• Tong Z, Chen W, Xu H, Zhai F. Optimal Loading Height: A Practical Research of Drop Jump from Biomechanics. J Healthc Eng. 2022 Mar 15;2022:4173639. doi: 10.1155/2022/4173639. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35340227 BACKGROUND

• Snyder E, Cai B, DeMuro C, Morrison MF, Ball W. A New Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale: Results of Psychometric Evaluation in Patients With Chronic Primary Insomnia and Depression. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018 Nov 15;14(11):1849-1857. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.7478.

  PMID: 30373688 BACKGROUND

• Selmi O, Ouergui I, Muscella A, My G, Marsigliante S, Nobari H, Suzuki K, Bouassida A. Monitoring Psychometric States of Recovery to Improve Performance in Soccer Players: A Brief Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 31;19(15):9385. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159385.

  PMID: 35954741 BACKGROUND

• Impellizzeri FM, Maffiuletti NA. Convergent evidence for construct validity of a 7-point likert scale of lower limb muscle soreness. Clin J Sport Med. 2007 Nov;17(6):494-6. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e31815aed57.

  PMID: 17993794 BACKGROUND

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Collected data will be stored and managed using REDCap secure web-based database management system. Any personally identifiable information will be coded.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery

Model Details: Cohort cross-over design. The study population will be randomized into two cohorts. The first cohort will begin with the control phase and then transition to the intervention phase. The second cohort will begin with the intervention phase and then transition to the control phase.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2024
• First Posted: August 22, 2024
• Study Start: September 15, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2025
• Study Completion: June 30, 2025
• Last Updated: January 15, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)