What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to compare the recovery effects of cold water immersion (CWI), foam rolling (FR), and passive recovery on performance and muscle damage in soccer players.

August 5, 2026SportsOpen Access

Cold Water Immersion or Foam Rolling? A Randomized Crossover Trial Comparing Recovery Effects on High-Intensity Performance and Markers of Muscle Damage and Inflammation in Soccer Players

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Authors

BMBalsam MessaiUniversity of Sfax SDSlaheddine DelleliUniversity of Sfax KTKhaled TrabelsiInstitut Supérieur du Sport et de l’Éducation Physique de Sfax

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Implication

Randomized trial compares recovery effects of cold water immersion and foam rolling on performance and muscle markers in soccer players, suggesting unique benefits of CWI.

Key Points

This study aims to compare the recovery effects of cold water immersion (CWI), foam rolling (FR), and passive recovery on performance and muscle damage in soccer players.
Fifteen soccer players engaged in a randomized crossover design involving CWI, FR, and passive recovery during recovery intervals.
Recovery effects were assessed using tests of physical performance and measurements of biochemical markers on four occasions: before and after two 5 m shuttle run tests, and at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h afterwards.
Key markers such as creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were monitored.
No significant changes in performance (TD) after CWI (p = 0.21), while passive recovery and FR showed significant decreases (p = 0.025, p = 0.028).
At 48 h, CWI resulted in significantly lower CK (p = 0.01) and LDH (p = 0.003) compared to passive recovery, and FR led to lower AST concentrations (p = 0.01).
Belief scores were higher for both CWI and FR compared to passive recovery throughout the recovery period (p < 0.05).

Cite This Study

Messai et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a72e841226790f370657ece https://doi.org/10.3390/sports14080328

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Implication

Randomized trial compares recovery effects of cold water immersion and foam rolling on performance and muscle markers in soccer players, suggesting unique benefits of CWI.

Cold Water Immersion or Foam Rolling? A Randomized Crossover Trial Comparing Recovery Effects on High-Intensity Performance and Markers of Muscle Damage and Inflammation in Soccer Players

Discussion

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Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Cold Water Immersion or Foam Rolling? A Randomized Crossover Trial Comparing Recovery Effects on High-Intensity Performance and Markers of Muscle Damage and Inflammation in Soccer Players

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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