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Squash can be a painful game.

For the social player an occasional game of squash usually results in a very sore butt & hamstrings. The only consolation is that even the pros suffer the same aches and pains when they first get back on court after a bit of a lay off. The same happens during tournaments where physical effort is usually much greater than during training and of course the more successful the player & the further they get in the tournament, the more likely it is that they will suffer from post exercise soreness.

AVOIDING THE 'DOMS'

So how can this “delayed onset muscle soreness ” or DOMS as it is known be avoided or minimised? Well one remedy that an increasing number of athletes from many different sports are turning to are ice baths.

Paula Radcliffe is allegedly a devotee as are many of the current England Rugby Union squad. Quite a few squash players are also among this intrepid group. Those that are brave enough to take the icy plunge, quickly become ice bath aficionados and extol their benefits as regards reducing DOMS and preparing themselves for upcoming matches.

Simon Parke was the first squash player that I came across who regularly jumped into a bath of ice cold water following a tough match. Now a number of the touring pros have taken a leaf out of Parkeys book and routinely order bags of ice from their hotel room service in order to take the cold plunge after tough matches.

THE PRACTICE

So what are the cold baths supposed to do and how long do you have to stay in one?

There is no hard scientific evidence to back up the use of ice immersion following exercise & consequently no definitive guides exist as to how often to use them or how long to stay in them. However, most people who try them, feel benefits in terms of less DOMS & improved physical recovery rates.

The current consensus seems to point to periods of between 5 & 10 minutes per immersion. The first couple of minutes in the ice bath are usually the worst as far as discomfort is concerned. Novices may only be able to tolerate a minute or two initially. However, with practice the discomfort subsides & subsequent cold dunkings are better tolerated.

THE THEORY

The use of ice immersion is justified by the hypothesis that hard physical activity causes microscopic muscle & soft tissue damage & that the application of cold helps to minimise the associated inflammation & pain.

Another theory is that the cold causes the body to shut down the superficial blood vessels and blood is then diverted to the deeper positioned muscles. This has a “flushing out” effect upon the muscles and substances such as lactic acid, which builds up in the muscles following exercise, is removed. It is believed that reducing post exercise levels of lactic acid helps in recovery & reduces post exercise stiffness & soreness.

Based on the above couple of hypotheses, it seems logical that only the muscles that have taken the brunt of exercise need to be immersed. So a squash player wouldn’t have to go neck deep into the ice bath. It would also seem logical that the cold immersion should start as soon as possible after training or playing.

TAKE IT EASY

Care should be taken before literally plunging into a cold bath. Some people are very sensitive to extremes of temperature. They may find cold baths too painful or may go into shock.

The application of cold (particularly ice immersion) should not be used in the following cases:

• Reduced skin sensitivity to temperature
• High or low blood pressure
• Circulatory problems
• Open wounds / sores

Philip Newton is a Chartered Physiotherapist, Director of the Lilleshall Sports Injury Rehab Centre, and provides Physio cover to England players at major squash events around the world.

Nick Matthew uses ice baths regularly and makes use of the specialised ice bath equipment that is available at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

These baths have in-built thermometers, an agitator to make sure that the temperature is even & in some cases cold air blowers just to make sure that the bather stays cold enough!

You can tell by the serene look on Nick's face that he is now an expert ice bather !

Coming Next: shock wave therapy ...