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

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Recovery, Physiological, Athletic Performance

In brief

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.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06565468

Run by

University of California, Los Angeles

People needed

75

Starts

2024-09-15

Expected to finish

2025-06-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-08-04

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

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…

• Must meet above inclusion criteria.
• 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.

Where it is running

• UCLA Orthopedics — Los Angeles, California, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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