Does cooling affect muscle blood flow?

Cold-water immersion is popular among athletes, based on the belief it enhances post-exercise recovery. But growing evidence suggests it might actually impair the recovery process.

In fact, we previously showed that cold-water immersion after exercise reduces muscle protein synthesis rates (the process driving muscle recovery and adaptation). In that study, we hypothesized that this might be due to reduced muscle blood flow and nutrient delivery.

So, in our new study (in young active adults), we investigated the effect of post-exercise cold-water immersion on:

• Muscle microvascular blood flow
• Amino acid incorporation into muscle tissue

We used a within-subject, unilateral design: one leg was submerged in cold water (8°C), and the other in thermoneutral water (30°C).

Key findings:

• Microvascular blood flow was 70% lower in the cold leg when compared to the thermoneutral leg.
• The reduction in microvascular blood flow correlated with the lower amino acid incorporation into muscle tissue

What does this mean?

Our findings provide further mechanistic evidence that cooling strategies after exercise may hinder muscle recovery and adaptation.

Link to our study:
Betz et al, Post-exercise cooling lowers skeletal muscle microvascular perfusion and blunt amino acid incorporation into muscle tissue in active young adults, Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2025

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