title: The effect of post-exercise hydrotherapy on subsequent exercise performance and heart rate variability.
abstract: We investigated the effect of hydrotherapy on time-trial performance and cardiac parasympathetic reactivation during recovery from intense training. On three occasions, 18 well-trained cyclists completed 60 min high-intensity cycling, followed 20 min later by one of three 10-min recovery interventions: passive rest (PAS), cold water immersion (CWI), or contrast water immersion (CWT). The cyclists then rested quietly for 160 min with R-R intervals and perceptions of recovery recorded every 30 min. Cardiac parasympathetic activity was evaluated using the natural logarithm of the square root of mean squared differences of successive R-R intervals (ln rMSSD). Finally, the cyclists completed a work-based cycling time trial. Effects were examined using magnitude-based inferences. Differences in time-trial performance between the three trials were trivial. Compared with PAS, general fatigue was very likely lower for CWI (difference [90% confidence limits; -12% (-18; -5)]) and CWT [-11% (-19; -2)]. Leg soreness was almost certainly lower following CWI [-22% (-30; -14)] and CWT [-27% (-37; -15)]. The change in mean ln rMSSD following the recovery interventions (ln rMSSD(Post-interv)) was almost certainly higher following CWI [16.0% (10.4; 23.2)] and very likely higher following CWT [12.5% (5.5; 20.0)] compared with PAS, and possibly higher following CWI [3.7% (-0.9; 8.4)] compared with CWT. The correlations between performance, ln rMSSD(Post-interv) and perceptions of recovery were unclear. A moderate correlation was observed between ln rMSSD(Post-interv) and leg soreness [r = -0.50 (-0.66; -0.29)]. Although the effects of CWI and CWT on performance were trivial, the beneficial effects on perceptions of recovery support the use of these recovery strategies.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Excellence for Applied Sport Science Research, Queensland Academy of Sport, Brisbane, Australia. j.stanley@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buchheit
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Peake
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D001642:Bicycling / Q000502:physiology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006875:Hydrotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult