Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2018
Recovery following a marathon: a comparison of cold water immersion, whole body cryotherapy and a placebo control.
Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07617857 (Effect of Whole-Body Cryotherapy on Isokinetic Performance After Exercise-Induced Fatigue), which is not on this map. Cited by 48 papers, 4 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.
Effect of Whole-Body Cryotherapy on Isokinetic Performance After Exercise-Induced Fatigue
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 88 citations in OpenAlex.
- Whole-body cryotherapy can reduce the inflammatory response in humans: a meta-analysis based on 11 randomized controlled trials.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The effects of hydrotherapy and cryotherapy on recovery from acute post-exercise induced muscle damage-a network meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Pooled it
- 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 medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Pooled it
- Cold- and hot-water immersion are not more effective than placebo for the recovery of physical performance and training adaptations in national level soccer players.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Trial
- The effect of medical grade compression garments on the repeated-bout effect in non-resistance-trained men.Experimental physiology · 2023Trial
- Acute effects of leg heat therapy on walking performance and cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to exercise in patients with peripheral artery disease.Physiological reports · 2021Trial
- Multiple Cryotherapy Attenuates Oxi-Inflammatory Response Following Skeletal Muscle Injury.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Partial-body cryotherapy (-135°C) and cold-water immersion (10°C) after muscle damage in females.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2020Trial
- Effects of different recovery strategies following a half-marathon on fatigue markers in recreational runners.PloS one · 2018Trial
- The Effect of Whole-Body Cryotherapy on Exercise Capacity of Healthy Training Men.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Review
- A Four-Day Cold Shower Protocol Does Not Increase Salivary Testosterone in a Small Cohort of Male Athletes: A Research Communication.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Cold water immersion protocol optimization across exercise modalities: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of resistance training, endurance exercise, and team sport applications.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Quantitative MRI evaluation of the effects of rest and different intensities of running on the recovery of thigh muscle microdamage after a half marathon.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Muscle regeneration is improved by hot water immersion but unchanged by cold following a simulated musculoskeletal injury in humans.The Journal of physiology · 2025Article
- Comparison of the Effects of Cold-Water Immersion Applied Alone and Combined Therapy on the Recovery of Muscle Fatigue After Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Analysis of sleep quality and quantity during a half-season in world-class handball players.Biology of sport · 2025Article
- Thermal Modalities Including Hot Baths and Cold Plunges Play a Unique Role in Injury Prevention and Recovery.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2025Article
- The untapped potential of cold water therapy as part of a lifestyle intervention for promoting healthy aging.GeroScience · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeCryotherapy is an increasingly popular recovery strategy used in an attempt to attenuate the negative impact of strenuous physical activity on subsequent exercise. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effects of whole body cryotherapy (WBC) and cold water immersion (CWI) on markers of recovery following a marathon.
methodsThirty-one endurance trained males completed a marathon. Participants were randomly assigned to a CWI, WBC or placebo group. Perceptions of muscle soreness, training stress and markers of muscle function were recorded before the marathon and at 24 and 48 h post exercise. Blood samples were taken at baseline, post intervention and 24 and 48 h post intervention to assess inflammation and muscle damage.
resultsWBC had a harmful effect on muscle function compared to CWI post marathon. WBC positively influenced perceptions of training stress compared to CWI. With the exception of C-reactive protein (CRP) at 24 and 48 h, neither cryotherapy intervention positively influenced blood borne markers of inflammation or structural damage compared to placebo.
conclusionThe findings show WBC has a negative impact on muscle function, perceptions of soreness and a number of blood parameters compared to CWI, contradicting the suggestion that WBC may be a superior recovery strategy. Further, cryotherapy is no more effective than a placebo intervention at improving functional recovery or perceptions of training stress following a marathon. These findings lend further evidence to suggest that treatment belief and the placebo effect may be largely responsible for the beneficial effects of cryotherapy on recovery following a marathon.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.