Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

Polar plunges are a popular form of fundraiser here in the Midwest during the cold winter months, but submerging your body into cold water isn’t just beneficial for charity. Athletes and medical experts have recognized how to harness the power of a cold plunge to treat different issues in the body, and now people regularly seek out ice baths to improve the health of their back and other tissues.

But how exactly does a cold plunge prove beneficial to the body? In today’s blog, we explain why more experts are recommending cold plunges as a form of recovery after athletic activity.

Cold Plunges And Inflammation Control

Taking a cold shower on a hot day may help your body cool down, but a cold plunge takes this idea to a whole new level. Cold plunge therapy typically involves submerging most of your body into an ice bath with a temperature between 45-59 degrees Fahrenheit for a short period of time. When starting out, this can be as short as 30 seconds, and most people try to work up to about 2-4 minutes per session a couple of times a week. Spending any more time in the water can be detrimental to your skin and other bodily functions, so know that a cold plunge isn’t designed to be a prolonged activity.

As soon as your body enters the water, a chain reaction is kicked off inside your body. Your blood vessels react to this temperature drop by constricting in order to limit circulation to non-vital organs. By limiting blood flow and fluid circulation to specific areas of your body, you can slow or stop inflammation from developing. As you emerge from the plunge and your body starts to reacclimate to normal temperatures, the blood vessels slowly expand, but circulation is still limited for a short period, again assisting in inflammation control. Many athletes will do a cold plunge after a game, a practice or a training session where they push their body to the extremes to limit the onset of inflammation that can come with intense physical exertion. By limiting inflammation onset, they can shorten their recovery time and get back on the field sooner.

Other benefits of cold plunge therapy include:

• Mobility Improvement – Reducing inflammation can help keep normal function and flexibility in joints.
• Decreased Muscle Tension – Cold water can help loosen tight muscles, and your lower and upper back are common areas for a person to hold tension.
• Brain Body Benefit – While a cold plunge may be a shock to the system, inside your body your brain is releasing endorphins to respond to the temperature change, and these endorphins act as a natural stress reliever once you’ve removed yourself from the cold plunge. So while it may be stressful at the outset, cold plunges can provide some long term stress relief.
• Soreness and Stiffness Control – Inflammation and muscle tension control can limit some of the soreness and stiffness that naturally comes with prolonged physical exertion.
• Non-Addictive – You may find yourself looking forward to a cold plunge once you get used to the therapy technique, but they aren’t addictive like other forms of pain management, like opioids.

With that said, cold plunges aren’t right for everyone. They aren’t going to be very helpful if inflammation isn’t the root cause of your back pain, and anyone with circulation issues or heart problems should talk to their doctor before starting a cold plunge regimen. It’s also an inherently passive technique, so patients should consider pairing the technique with additional treatments like physical therapy, stretching and nutritional improvements for best results. Consistency is also key, as it’s recommended that you perform a cold plunge 2-4 times per week for best results.

If you’re interested in learning more about starting a cold plunge recovery plan, or you want to talk to a specialist about a different back issue that you’re dealing with, connect with Dr. Sinicropi and the team at Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.

Comments are closed.