Ice bag application, active warm-up, and 3 measures of maximal functional performance.
BACKGROUND
Research into the effects of ice on neuromuscular performance is limited, and the results sometimes conflict.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of ice bag application to the anterior thigh and active warm-up on 3 maximal functional performance tests.


METHODS
A 2 x 2 repeated-measures design with 4 randomly assigned treatment conditions: (1) no ice/no warm-up, (2) ice/ no warm-up, (3) no ice/warm-up, and (4) ice/warm-up.


METHODS
Gymnasium with a wooden floor.


METHODS
Twenty-four active, uninjured men, 18 to 24 years of age.


METHODS
For the ice application, we applied an ice bag with compression to the anterior thigh for 20 minutes. Warm-up (6.5 minutes) consisted of 3 minutes of jogging, 3 minutes of stretching, and ten 2-legged vertical jumps.


METHODS
Maximal performance of 3 functional fitness tests: single-leg vertical jump height, shuttle run time, and 40-yd (36.58-m) sprint time.


RESULTS
Significant main effects were noted for both ice and warm-up for all functional tests, with a significant interaction (ice x warm-up) for the 40-yd sprint test. Ice bag application negatively affected performance on all 3 functional tests; warm-up significantly improved posticing performance. High-intensity maximal performance after ice bag application almost returned to the no ice/no warm-up pretreatment levels with the addition of active warm-up and time.


CONCLUSIONS
Ice bag application negatively affected performance of maximal high-intensity functional tests. Active warm-up and time for muscle warming after ice bag application decreased the detrimental effects of icing on functional performance.
Richendollar
Melissa L
ML
Urbana University, Urbana, OH, USA.
Darby
Lynn A
LA
Brown
Travis M
TM