Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2008
Effect of hydrotherapy on the signs and symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness.
Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 99 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
99 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 277 citations in OpenAlex.
- Physical recovery modalities in competitive and elite endurance athletes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis finding limited evidence of benefit over passive recovery.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of Post-Exercise Heat Exposure on Acute Recovery and Training-Induced Performance Adaptations: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2025Pooled it
- Impact of different doses of cold water immersion (duration and temperature variations) on recovery from acute exercise-induced muscle damage: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Pooled it
- 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 medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Pooled it
- The Effects of Regular Cold-Water Immersion Use on Training-Induced Changes in Strength and Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2021Pooled it
- The Effect of Post-Exercise Cryotherapy on Recovery Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.PloS one · 2015Pooled it
- Contrast water therapy and exercise induced muscle damage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2013Pooled it
- Cryotherapy and joint position sense in healthy participants: a systematic review.Journal of athletic trainingPooled it
- Regular Cold-Water Immersion Following HIIT Does Not Affect Intramuscular Adaptation Markers, Inflammatory Profile or Endurance Performance.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2026Trial
- Effect of cold-water immersion treatment on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage in the hamstring.European journal of sport science · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Acute Local Cooling to the Lower Body during Recovery Does Not Improve Repeated Vertical Jump Performance.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Experience of cold-water immersion on recovery efficiency after soccer match.La Tunisie medicale · 2021Trial
- Multiple Cold-Water Immersions Attenuate Muscle Damage but not Alter Systemic Inflammation and Muscle Function Recovery: A Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial.Scientific reports · 2018Trial
- The Effect of Therapeutic Whirlpool and Hot Packs on Hand Volume During Rehabilitation After Distal Radius Fracture: A Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.Hand (New York, N.Y.) · 2017Trial
- The effects of cold water immersion and active recovery on inflammation and cell stress responses in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise.The Journal of physiology · 2017Trial
- Effects of Cold Water Immersion on Muscle Oxygenation During Repeated Bouts of Fatiguing Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Study.Medicine · 2016Trial
- Curcumin supplementation likely attenuates delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).European journal of applied physiology · 2015Trial
- The effect of various cold-water immersion protocols on exercise-induced inflammatory response and functional recovery from high-intensity sprint exercise.European journal of applied physiology · 2014Trial
39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study independently examined the effects of three hydrotherapy interventions on the physiological and functional symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Strength trained males (n = 38) completed two experimental trials separated by 8 months in a randomised crossover design; one trial involved passive recovery (PAS, control), the other a specific hydrotherapy protocol for 72 h post-exercise; either: (1) cold water immersion (CWI: n = 12), (2) hot water immersion (HWI: n = 11) or (3) contrast water therapy (CWT: n = 15). For each trial, subjects performed a DOMS-inducing leg press protocol followed by PAS or one of the hydrotherapy interventions for 14 min. Weighted squat jump, isometric squat, perceived pain, thigh girths and blood variables were measured prior to, immediately after, and at 24, 48 and 72 h post-exercise. Squat jump performance and isometric force recovery were significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) at 24, 48 and 72 h post-exercise following CWT and at 48 and 72 h post-exercise following CWI when compared to PAS. Isometric force recovery was also greater (P < 0.05) at 24, 48, and 72 h post-exercise following HWI when compared to PAS. Perceived pain improved (P < 0.01) following CWT at 24, 48 and 72 h post-exercise. Overall, CWI and CWT were found to be effective in reducing the physiological and functional deficits associated with DOMS, including improved recovery of isometric force and dynamic power and a reduction in localised oedema. While HWI was effective in the recovery of isometric force, it was ineffective for recovery of all other markers compared to PAS.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.